Relationships Editor
Relationships Editor
Francesca Bond is mindbodygreen’s relationships editor.
Image by Jovo Jovanovic / Stocksy
March 13, 2024
Finding ways to distill our personalities into bite-sized online profiles is only becoming more important, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. We’re complicated people with a range of interests, moods, and desires—how can someone see all of that by just scrolling through our dating profile? They can’t, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use prompts to try our best to convey the things that matter the most to us.
Why Hinge prompts matter
On a dating profile, pictures can only say so much.
Through words, you can provide a sample of your sense of humor, your interests, and what you’re looking for in a match.
According to Hinge’s distraction-free dating guide, developed by behavioral scientist and dating coach Logan Ury (who also happens to be Hinge’s director of relationship science), and licensed therapist Moe Ari Brown, LMFT, you should be clear about the type of connection you seek on your profile and while matching with someone.
Prompts provide opportunities for you to share exactly what you’re looking for in your match. If you want a long-term monogamous partner, a casual relationship, or someone interested in ethical nonmonogamy, try to find a way to say that somewhere in your profile. After all, the worst that could happen is someone swipes away from your profile—but if you don’t align on what you’re looking for, then that’s probably for the best.
If it’s important for you to have a lot in common with your partner, then open up about your interests and hobbies within your profile. Maybe you love playing board games and are seeking someone who is open to spending a lot of their free time playing Dungeons & Dragons with you—that’s exactly the kind of thing you can find out by using Hinge prompts.
Also—don’t be afraid to be yourself in your dating profile. This isn’t the time and place to be diplomatic. You’re looking for your people. Use your Hinge prompts to share your opinions, boundaries, beliefs, and maybe even an embarrassing photo, according to dating coach Samantha Pillsbury.
“Your imperfect profile should be perfectly you. It gives you the best chance to meet somebody who is a real fit for you as a person and helps you weed out people you probably would have ended up eliminating on a second or third date anyway,” Pillsbury previously wrote for mindbodygreen.
Honest Hinge prompts and answers
Ask me anything about…
To answer this prompt, just think about topics you actually want to be asked about. For example:
- Murder mystery books
- Hip-hop music
- Baking
Green flags I look for
What are you looking for in a partner? Think of green flags as the opposite of red flags—good signs that your match will meet your needs:
- You spend time with your family every week.
- You call yourself a feminist.
- You’re passionate about the outdoors.
I feel most supported when
Take this as an opportunity to open up about your needs in a relationship. If someone doesn’t fit the bill, then you probably don’t want them to match with you in the first place:
- My feelings are heard.
- You make an effort to make me feel seen.
- I’m in an equal partnership.
I know the best spot in town for
Here’s a chance to flex your knowledge and, you guessed it, convey another one of your values. What kind of food do you like eating? Are you a coffee snob? Do you stop by a museum every weekend?
- Live jazz music
- Black coffee
- Dim sum
Most spontaneous thing I’ve done
Maybe your photos tell one story, but you want your potential match to know that you contain multitudes. You can subvert expectations with this prompt. Share something that people might not expect when looking at you:
- Hiked to the top of a local mountain
- Moved to another country
- Switched careers
Funny Hinge prompts and answers
My best dad joke
Love them or hate them, dad jokes are useful for an easy laugh. There are no shortage of dad jokes available online, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- What did the tree say when spring finally arrived? What a re-leaf!
- What kind of sandals do frogs wear? Open-toad.
- Your pupils are the last part to stop working when you die because they dilate.
My most irrational fear (is)
Not to downplay your fears, but this prompt presents a good opportunity to poke some fun at yourself. Choose a fear that is so irrational that it really is kind of funny:
- Being one of those people who dies while taking a selfie
- Going on a reality game show only to be voted off immediately
- Falling in love with ChatGPT
My friends ask me for advice about
It doesn’t matter if you’re actually the go-to advice guru for your friend group or not. You can still answer this prompt in a funny way. Try to take this prompt less seriously, and answer according to your sense of humor:
- Facetuning photos
- Where to start with Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
- How to boil water
Most popular Hinge prompts and answers
The way to win me over is
Here is another opportunity to share something about your values—and help your potential match understand how they could make you happy:
- Clear and honest communication
- Deleting this app if things get serious
- Showing me a fun time
My simple pleasures
Use this prompt to reveal something intimate, but not too vulnerable, about yourself:
- Going for a walk to a coffee shop each morning
- Lighting a candle and reading a book at the end of the workday
- Identifying bird sounds during hikes
I go crazy for
This prompt is open to a lot of interpretation, so get creative with your answer:
- People who value communication as much as I do
- Guys who are down for a long night 😉
- Golden retriever guys
Together, we could
Here’s where you can communicate the kind of relationship you’re seeking, whether that’s a monogamous relationship, a casual fling, or a polyamorous partner:
- Accomplish our hopes and dreams
- Raise happy children one day
- Keep each other company for a while
- Practice compersion (celebrating each other’s pleasure)
Got a date? Here are some things to keep in mind
1.
Be present during your date (and off your phone)
Just because you used your phone to get your date doesn’t mean you should use your phone while on your date. According to Hinge, 78% of Hinge dates feel like their date isn’t interested in them if they spend time on their phone during the date.
2.
Open up a little bit
3.
Do something fun together
Sure, you could grab a drink or a coffee, but what if you did something a little more creative? Try going to a flea market and finding unique treasures, or going on a guided tour of your city, or taking a dance class. Your date will be more memorable and, at the very least, will break up the monotony of dating.
The takeaway
Dating apps provide an opportunity to meet people outside of your immediate circle—and start a relationship off on the same page. But making the perfect match isn’t easy, so try opening up about your feelings, needs, and opinions to help find someone compatible with you.
