Wisp: ‘Bio-baiting’ — the dating trend that ‘erodes trust’
“Bio-baiting” — the practice of embellishing a dating app bio to appear more interesting — is emerging as a common but corrosive habit among singles, according to a new report in Indy100. While not overtly deceitful, the behaviour frequently leads to disappointing real-world meetings and contributes to broader dating-app fatigue.
Users who engage in bio-baiting often list activities they rarely do — skiing, hiking, horseback riding, cooking or reading — to present a more cultured, well-rounded image. The problem, industry observers say, is that these vague claims create expectations that are frequently unmet when matches meet in person.
Sylvia Linzalone, who works with the dating app Wisp, told Indy100: “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.” Wisp’s own survey of users found that 63 percent “admitted to feeling let down after meeting someone who didn’t live up to their carefully polished dating app profile.”
Experts and app operators recommend looking for specifics rather than broad labels on profiles. Linzalone advises: “Look for specifics over vagaries. A ‘traveller’ can be a red flag; someone who says ‘hiking the Andes next month’ is probably genuine.” That specificity, she says, signals real engagement rather than a generic attempt to impress.
Dating specialists also urge users to move from chat to in-person meetings sooner rather than later. The rationale: the longer a profile is allowed to stand alone, the more it can be idealised, and the greater the risk of disappointment when the person behind the bio proves different from the image their words suggested.
Bio-baiting is one of several problematic behaviours observers say are shaping modern dating. Other trends getting attention include “monkey-barring,” where someone clings to one partner while lining up another, and “Shrekking,” a term used to describe dating down in hopes of better treatment. Coverage of these phenomena has appeared in outlets such as the New York Post.
Earlier reporting has also highlighted dishonesty about age, occupation and appearance as persistent issues on apps (New York Post), underscoring how small misrepresentations in profiles can compound into broader trust problems across the online-dating ecosystem.
As the conversation around bio-baiting grows, both users and platforms face pressure to encourage clearer, more honest profiles and quicker real-life meetings to reduce the disconnect between digital presentation and offline reality.
