Studies

Swiping through a lot of profiles quickly might seem like a benefit of online dating, but according to a new study, too many choices can lead to a “rejection mindset” for daters.

According to PsyPost.com, researchers from the Netherlands found that people tended to close themselves off when using dating apps because they get overwhelmed by the number of choices presented. A seemingly endless stream of profiles increases feelings of dissatisfaction, which in turn causes them to reject even more potential dates, especially the more they swipe.

Dating apps have been blamed for the so-called “dating apocalypse” – the idea that singles prefer to mindlessly swipe instead of trying to form a long-term relationship with someone who interests them. But according to a new study, the opposite is true – people are turning to dating apps to find long-term relationships.

Researchers from Switzerland’s University of Geneva (UNIGE) studied survey data from 3,235 of the country’s adults aged 18 and over who were in a relationship and had met their partner in the last ten years, and found that those who had met over a dating app were more likely to live together than others, indicating a higher level of commitment.

Women who met their partner over a dating app were also more likely to want a child within the next three years compared to those who met their partners offline, showing that dating app users approached the dating process with greater commitment. In addition, those couples who met over apps were just as happy and satisfied in their relationships as those who hadn’t, according to a report by CNN.

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder released its annual report The Year in Swipe, and found that while the pandemic dominated the year, dating apps benefitted with an increase in subscriptions and user activity. 

While many singles were stuck at home they chose to connect virtually, with messages and swipes up by double digits compared to back in February, according to Inside Hook.

“Travel” was the most-used term this year, especially around March and April when the first lockdowns began and people had to cancel their plans. Also popular in 2020 were pandemic-related ice breakers, with many using the phrase “quarantine and chill” and discussing mask wearing habits and protocols with their matches.

Image: okcupid

A new study by dating app OkCupid found that politics and the pandemic are the two biggest forces shaping the dating experience, giving us a clue about what dating will look like in 2021.

The company surveyed two million of its users to find out how 2020 is shaping their view of dating, and what if anything has changed. According to Mashable, OkCupid published its Future of Dating report based on its analysis of 450 million responses they received from these users. The biggest impact on dating has been political engagement and polarization – notably in an important election year. A majority of 64% of respondents said they preferred to date someone who shared their political views, up from previous years when politics did not play such a major factor in deciding whether or not to date someone. In fact, this number jumped 7% since 2019, and 60% of respondents said they wouldn’t even consider dating someone with opposing political views.

A new study found that people who suffer from anxiety and depression, especially now during the pandemic, benefit from using dating apps – and those helped were mainly women.

According to Scientific Times, researchers from Ryerson University in Canada analyzed symptoms of social anxiety and “the use, motivation, and interaction associated with dating apps.” 

The researchers found that as lockdowns took place and people were physically isolated from one another, women turned to dating apps to feel connection and ease symptoms like depression. Many singles have felt increasingly disconnected during the pandemic, with some looking to dating apps for a quick quarantine partner as an alternative to being alone.

Singles in the U.K. are on the hunt for love before the next wave of the pandemic forces people to isolate once more. 

Dating site eHarmony found that one fifth of singles (21%) are eager to find partners right now as potential lockdowns loom, and that 40% of those looking to couple up will do so because they spent the previous lockdown alone. Eighteen percent are looking to move in with a partner to escape their current living situation, whether it’s with family, roommates, or living alone.