Writing a profile that's honest without oversharing

Your profile has one job:

Give someone enough of you to want a conversation.

It does not need to contain your entire autobiography or medical chart.

Lead with personhood

Start with what makes your life yours.

"Weekend kayaker, terrible gardener, lifelong Chiefs fan and always planning the next road trip."

Then decide whether health belongs in the profile.

Disclosure in profiles is a personal choice

Research with adults managing mental illness found that many intentionally did not include their diagnosis in online profiles and instead disclosed later in the developing relationship.

PubMed: Disclosure in online dating profiles (external link)

JBU is intentionally different because condition/life experience is part of the environment from the beginning.

That doesn't mean every medical detail belongs in the profile.

Good disclosure creates context

"I live with MS. Most days I'm active, but fatigue occasionally changes my plans."

That is more useful than a diagnosis alone.

Protect identifying information

Avoid putting unnecessary information in a public or semi-public profile such as:

• full home address;
• employer details;
• exact daily routines;
• financial information;
• medical-record identifiers.

Honesty and privacy can coexist.