Where Facebook Dating Gets Your Suggested Matches

Facebook Dating suggests people from three sources. The first is the preferences you set. The second is the details you put into Dating, such as your height, age and education. The third is your activity on Facebook, which covers things like your hometown and the schools you list, plus Facebook Groups and Events you have in common with someone. If you want fewer, tighter suggestions, turn on This is a strong preference in your ideal match options.

The first input is the one you control most directly. You tell Dating what you are looking for, and it uses those preferences as the starting point for who it puts in front of you.

Most men set these once, in a hurry, during signup and never look again. That is a waste. If your suggestions feel off, the first place to check is what you told Dating you wanted, because it may not match what you actually want now.

The second input is the information on your Dating profile. Facebook names height, age and education as examples of what it can use.

Two things follow from that. First, fill these details in honestly. Adding two inches to your height might widen who you are shown to. But she will notice the difference the moment you stand up to say hello, and the date starts with her wondering what else you rounded up.

Second, treat these fields as information about fit, not as a score. A woman who cares a lot about education will see yours either way. You are better off being shown to the women who like the real answer than to the ones who would have liked a different one.

The third input is the one most men do not expect. Dating also uses things you and other people do on Facebook.

That means shared details on your Facebook or Dating profile, like a hometown or a school, can shape who you see. So can Facebook Groups and Events the two of you have in common. A man who belongs to a running club group and an old-film group on Facebook is giving Dating something real to work with.

You should not join groups just to game this. But if you have real interests and you are not in any groups for them, joining a couple is a small, honest step. It also gives you an easy opener when you do meet someone who shares them.

Inside your ideal match options, some preferences have a switch called This is a strong preference. Turning it on narrows your suggestions.

Use it only for genuine dealbreakers. If you want children someday and she does not, no amount of chemistry fixes that, so it is worth filtering on. If you merely prefer a certain height or a certain job, leave it soft.

Every strong preference makes your pool smaller. A smaller pool of the right women is great. A smaller pool built on preferences you would drop for the right person just hides women you would have liked.

Suggestions give you chances. They do not turn into dates on their own.

Whether a suggested woman becomes a conversation depends mostly on your photos. Whether a conversation becomes a date depends on how you write and how quickly you suggest a plan. Men who blame the algorithm for a quiet month usually have a photo problem or a messaging problem, and changing their settings does nothing for either.

So when you look at who Dating shows you, ask two separate questions. Are these the right kind of women? And when they are, am I getting anywhere with them?

The second question is usually the one that matters. A clear photo of just you, taken in daylight by a friend, will do more for a quiet month than any change to your settings.

If the suggestions are the wrong kind of women, work through the inputs in order. Recheck your preferences. Make sure your Dating details are accurate. Think about whether the groups and events you belong to reflect the life you actually live.

If the suggestions are fine but nothing comes of them, leave the settings alone. Rework your first photo, rewrite your weakest prompt answer, and get to the invitation sooner in your conversations. That is where the results are hiding.