Size does matter when it comes to online dating in the Waikato - with men often stretching the truth when it comes to their height.

A new dating survey reveals that 23 per cent of women and 18 per cent of men have lied on their online dating profiles.

The WhatsYourPrice.com survey of 950 Kiwi members also showed men in the Waikato lied most often about their height, while Waikato women lied about their weight.

In Auckland men tended to lie about their career and women about their age.

While in Wellington, the men tried to be more appealing by lying about their interests - while again women lied about their age.

While some might think stretching the truth a little on their profile is quite harmless, the consistent mismatch between a guy's profile and reality has put one Hamilton singleton off online dating for good.

The 30-year-old, who did not want to be named, had caught up with three men she met online - and none were who they appeared to be online.

The final straw came when she met up with a man who purported to be blond and 186 centimetres tall.

"He was actually bald and shorter than me and I'm 175cm. I was so shocked. He apologised straight away, but blamed it on his sister who he said filled out the profile. But it's quite simple to change."

For her, height was most definitely a factor.

"It's a personal thing. But I don't feel feminine if a guy is shorter than me. I think a lot of other women feel the same. Maybe it's because there's so many farmers in the Waikato, so we're used to big guys."

She said it was no use lying on your profile. "Do they think we won't notice? You're not giving us much credit, guys."

Victoria University experimental social psychologist Professor Garth Fletcher said survey results pretty much confirmed what people already knew - that men were most often attracted to looks, while women were attracted to a man's job, wealth or power.

"An evolutionary psychologist would say these [attractions] are ageless."

Dr Fletcher said lying was commonplace in all relationships, so it wasn't surprising online daters were putting a "bit of spin" on their profiles.

"But you're going to get caught out. Eventually you have to turn up and they're going to discover that you're not [188cm] tall, but [173cm]; that you're not wonderfully handsome, but rather plain and that you don't own a Porsche."

WhatsYourPrice.com chief executive Brandon Wade said it wasn't a surprise men lied about their careers.

"In this economy, it is very likely that a man is unsatisfied with his career, and might embellish his online dating profile as he would a resume to make himself more appealing."

WhatsYourPrice.com is an online dating auction site where men bid for the chance at a first date with another member.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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