Dating made too easy? 😊 Getting worse from date to date!
"Dating apps are wearing users down with classic burnout symptoms, according to a study tracking hundreds over three months. The effect hits hardest on those already struggling with mental health."
"... Studies link dating apps to higher rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness, with heavier costs on people who were already struggling beforehand. ...
A 2024 study followed hundreds of dating apps users over the course of three months. "We ended up finding over time, people using dating apps were experiencing burnout across the board," ... Which makes sense. If you're stuck on the app, you haven't found what you're looking for (unless you just want hookups). But the experience was far more severe than frustration. ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Research on the mental health and well-being outcomes of dating app use has increased steadily over the past 17 years.
• Meta-analytic findings suggested a modest link, although cross-sectional design limitations prevent causal interpretation.
• Moderator analyses did not show consistent subgroup differences, showing inconclusive evidence for demographic variation.
Abstract
This pre-registered study reports the results of a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis of the clinical (e.g., psychological health and well-being) outcomes of dating app use.
We conducted a keyword search of the literature for studies published between 2007 and 2024 using seven databases in communication, psychology, and the biomedical and life sciences.
Our sample included 23 studies (N = 26,068) and captured the period of time since dating apps were first brought to market to the present.
We found that dating app users reported significantly worse psychological health and well-being (i.e., depression, anxiety, affective dysregulation, loneliness, and psychological distress) than dating app non-users.
We also performed a subgroup analysis to explore the significant heterogeneity across studies. The effect of dating app use versus non-use on psychological health and well-being differed by platform type, relationship status, sexual orientation, and cultural context, but these differences were not significant. Overall, our synthesis of 17 years of research coheres with prior trends and underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve the outcomes of dating app users."
Are you stuck in the dating app burnout cycle? "Download, burnout, delete, repeat. Science says dating app users follow a predictable and dangerous pattern. These are the signs you're falling for it – and how to escape."
No comments:
Post a Comment