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New research by a professional teeth whitening company has revealed the top dating turn offs, with cheesy chat up lines and imperfect teeth topping the list. According to the poll, over half of Britons have gone on to date someone who they had initially been turned off by, according to the first impression.

A third of single Britons base their first impressions of potential suitors on their physical appearance and what they’re wearing, whilst only 29% find that their first impressions tend to be correct. In terms of first impressions, cheesy chat up lines and imperfect teeth are considered to be the biggest turn off.

The team at www.iWhiteInstant.com the research as part of an ongoing study into what Britons are attracted to in others and how appearance plays a part in this. 2,187 Britons aged 18 and over, all of whom stated they were single and had been on at least two dates in the past six months, were quizzed about first impressions.

Initially all respondents were asked ‘How do you judge someone when you first meet them?’ to which the most common responses were ‘by their physical appearance’ (31%), ‘by what they’re wearing’ (30%) and ‘by the way that they introduce themselves’ (27%). All respondents were then asked ‘How often do you find that your first impression is correct?’ with over two fifths of respondents, 43%, admitting their first impressions were only ‘50/50’ right, whilst remaining respondents admitted they were right ‘most of the time’ (29%) or ‘almost never’ (28%).

Wanting to delve a little deeper, all respondents were asked what they consider to be the biggest turnoffs when meeting someone new. When provided with a list of potential responses and told to select all that applied, the top five responses were as follows:

1. A cheesy chat up line – 77%
2. Imperfect teeth – 65%
3. If they pay too much attention to their mobile – 64%
4. Arrogance – 53%
5. Lack of hygiene – 52%

According to the poll, a further 36% of respondents also confessed that they judge someone on whether or not they offered to pay for the date, and a further 35% admitted that they judge someone based on how they treat those around them, such as waiters.

Furthermore, when asked if they had ever gone on to date someone who had turned them off at the first instance, 57% confessed that ‘yes’ they had, citing ‘I got to know them and enjoyed their company’ (38%) and ‘I didn’t make the best first impression myself’ (30%).

Carien Veldhuis, Marketing Manager at iWhite Instant, said:

“It’s interesting to see what Britons consider to be the top turnoffs when meeting new people, and that cheesy chat up lines are considered to be the worst. It’s a telling sign that you should just be yourself on a date; tell them about your interests and ask about them theirs and be honest.”

“That being said, it’s no surprise that imperfect teeth came in at second on the top turnoffs either; this is one of those evolutionary things we look for in a mate. That’s not to say people have to have the kind of perfect pearly whites that you’d expect to see in a magazine, but make sure you take good care of your teeth!”