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The ever-growing dictionary of modern dating disasters has a new addition “bio-baiting.” After ghosting, breadcrumbing and catfishing, singles are now facing yet another disheartening experience on dating apps. According to a recent report by New York Post, the trend of bio-baiting is fuelling dating app fatigue, eroding trust, and leaving many young people questioning the authenticity of online connections.

What Is Bio-Baiting?

“Bio-baiting” is the practice of overselling or exaggerating your dating app bio to make yourself appear more interesting than you are in reality. While not an outright lie, it can be misleading and often leads to disappointment during real-life meetings.

Common signs of bio-baiting include:

• Listing hobbies rarely practiced (skiing, hiking, horseback riding, cooking, reading)
• Using vague clichés such as “love to travel” or “adventurer”
• Claiming ambitious job titles like “entrepreneur” without context
• Describing oneself as “spontaneous” or “foodie” without specifics

Trust At Risk?

Sylvia Linzalone, dating expert with Wisp, explained that bio-baiting is quietly damaging the dating experience. “The disappointment of meeting someone who doesn’t live up to their bio is a primary reason for dating app fatigue. It erodes trust and makes the entire process feel disingenuous,” Linzalone told New York Post. She advised singles to be cautious of vague descriptors and to look for specific details. “A ‘traveller’ can be a red flag; someone who says ‘hiking the Andes next month’ is probably genuine,” she added.

A poll conducted by dating app Wisp, cited by New York Post, surveyed 1,500 singles. The findings reveal the scale of the problem:
• 63 per cent admitted feeling let down after meeting someone who didn’t live up to their bio.
• 68 per cent were disappointed by the cliche “love to travel.”
• 51 per cent found “adventurer” misleading.
• 39 per cent encountered self-proclaimed “entrepreneurs.”
• 34 per cent were let down by “foodie” profiles.

With platforms like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and OkCupid already reshaping how people connect, trends like bio-baiting only make the landscape more challenging. Many singles, already weary of ghosting or “monkey-barring”, where someone keeps one partner while lining up another, are now left second-guessing whether profiles are authentic.

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Linzalone recommends moving conversations from apps to real life quickly, before people build up false expectations. “The longer you stay in the messaging phase, the more room there is for projection and disappointment,” she told New York Post.

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While bio-baiting may not be as extreme as catfishing, experts warn it is equally damaging in its subtle erosion of trust. As dating apps continue to dominate modern romance, honesty in profiles may be the only way to prevent growing disillusionment among singles.