There’s long been a theory that, on dating apps, 80% of women are pursuing the top 20% of men — but new research reveals it’s actually fellas who are aiming too high when swiping for love.

International researchers analyzed the behaviors of almost 3,000 heterosexual users of a Czech dating app, with their findings published earlier this week in the PLOS One journal.

“Men tended to express interest in women who were more desirable than themselves, while women typically pursued men of more similar desirability,” the team uncovered.

To classify how desirable each user was, researchers counted the number of swipes they received from other people on the app.

There were more male users, meaning that female users “generally ranked more highly in this hierarchy.”

Despite being spoilt for choice, the research revealed that women sometimes “chose slightly less desirable partners on average.”

However, the study showed that successful matches tended “to happen between people with similar levels of desirability.”

Thus, to avoid feeling frustrated and rejected when using dating apps, the research suggests that men should be realistic about their own desirability and not attempt to date out of their league.

“Our research on a Czech online dating app shows that while men often aim high when choosing whom to contact, successful matches tend to happen between people with similar levels of desirability. This pattern is largely the result of rejection, rather than an initial preference for similarity.”

“The successful matching outcomes tend to align more closely with women’s preferences than with men’s. This likely reflects women’s stronger position in the online dating market, as men outnumber women and are often expected to make the first move.”