Bumble Launches New Self Care Badges

Image: Bumble

Bumble has launched a suite of new self-care badges and prompts in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.

The new Profile Prompts and Interest Badges help people highlight and talk about their mental health and self-care practices, according to the company’s press release. The Profile Prompts are available in Date Mode, and users can select from two: “My mental health game changer was…” and “I’m prioritizing my mental health by…”

The new Interest Badges are intended to highlight what self-care is important to a user, and potentially spark further conversation. These include badges for Therapy, Mindfulness, Deep Chats, Nutrition, Sleeping Well, and Time Offline. These badges can be removed or switched out at any time for other interests, and users can add up to three at a time to their profile, according to Bumble's release.

The dating app has prioritized mental health awareness as of late, thanks to a survey the company conducted in April which found 55 percent of its members agreed that it’s important to be open about your mental health journey with potential matches. Many of those surveyed also agreed that being able to talk about their mental health and self-care practices is one of the more important factors they consider when looking at potential partners.

In addition, the company found that 52 percent of its users had established boundaries over the past year to protect their mental health, including 63 percent agreeing that they are clearer about emotional needs and boundaries, 59 percent being more thoughtful about how they are putting themselves out there, and 53 percent saying they are not overcommitting socially.

The company surveyed UK users and found that the majority of men in the UK (59 percent) are actively taking steps to look after their mental and emotional health. Of those surveyed, 29 percent of UK-based men and women said that they were going to, or considering going to, therapy. The number went up to 35 percent when it came to black British men and women.

Naomi Walkland, Bumble’s VP of Europe, said in a statement published in UK-based ShinyShiny.tv: “Over the past couple of years there has been a positive societal shift in how we prioritize and talk about mental health. We’re seeing this mirrored when it comes to dating, with people demonstrating that they really value emotional maturity and communication, often over physical attributes.”

In its press release about the new badges and prompts, Bumble added that users can also opt for the “Snooze Mode” option, and temporarily hide your profile from other users for a specified period, anywhere from 24 hours to weeks at a time.

For more on this dating app, check out our Bumble review.