RELATIONSHIPS

This is the digital age. Nowadays, a lot of the things people would do in person like banking, shopping and even learning is being done online. This also includes dating. Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel and Hinge have recently become popular to the public and have opened the floodgates for online dating. Now more individuals are able to find their “soulmates” right from their own smartphones. But how are dating apps affecting mental health?

Most dating apps work the same, users will sign up and create a profile. Once that is complete, their profile typically becomes public to the entire network and is subject to other users for them to like or dislike their profile. Once two users are matched up they are allowed to start messaging and have the potential to get to know each other.

This process does not always work though, many times messages go unread and that provides a wave of rejection that people may feel  In fact a study done by Sapienza University of Rome, show that 50% of matches do not even message back. Someone not responding back to a message or “ghosting”, as some may call it, can cause an individual to develop a sense of depression and anxiety.

Another way that dating apps can have an impact on an individual's mental health is the effect it can have on the user’s self esteem. Many dating app users will essentially make their decision on who they want to message based on how they look. It is a natural human emotion to find certain people appealing and some people unappealing, but all of that quick judgement and swiping can have negative effects on some people’s self esteem. According to the American Psychological Association, “male users tend to have lower self esteem levels and all users appear to have more negative perception of body image than those who don’t use the app.”

There are also people who have various intentions when using dating apps. Some people may be online to find love and find someone they would like to spend the rest of their life with while some could be on it just out of boredom. Not everyone on dating apps are on there to date. Some users aren’t taking it as serious and that could cause anxiety in users who are on the app for a purpose.

According to an article on BBC, a dating app user mentions that she finds it, "...difficult to distinguish between those who are just using it as a way of passing time on their commute or ego-boosting and those who actually are looking for something serious."

It is important for users to safeguard their own mental health while on the dating app scene. Some ways to do that are to remain confident in themselves, have patience and to have a life outside of the app. It can be easy to get caught up in dating apps but that doesn’t mean to cease doing other activities and pursuing new passions.

Written by: Rahmere Griffin