Using dating apps ‘destroys people’s belief in love’ and makes them ‘more emotionally promiscuous’

DATING apps dash people’s belief in love, a study suggests. Heavy users were said to be less convinced about romance and likelier to think sex and relationships were more like a business deal. Dating apps destroy people’s belief in love and make them more promiscuous, according to a new study Credit: Getty Researchers reckon people get exhausted by the churn of potential partners and regular disappointment Credit: Getty Matchmaking apps require snap judgments based on a few photos and basic info. Researchers reckon people get exhausted by the churn of potential partners and regular disappointment. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! They studied 664 Iranian men and women — with an average age of 26 — who regularly go on dating apps such as Tinder. The heaviest users had higher “emotional promiscuity”, meaning they switched partners more often and were more likely to see love as meaningless. They were also likelier than non -users to focus on jobs, money and lifestyle instead of sexual chemistry or emotional connection. The study authors, from Lorand University in Hungary, said: “On dating apps, individuals are categorised as favourable (swiped right) or unfavourable (swiped left) within seconds.” A pool of hundreds of potential partners might lead people to be too picky or have unrealistic standards, but being stuck in shallow conversations could leave them unfulfilled, they added. An estimated eight per cent of Britons met their current partner via dating apps, rising to 14 per cent of 25 to 49-year-olds. Most read in Fabulous Dr Reza Shabahang said their study’s findings showed people were happier if they were mindful of the apps’ drawbacks and did not use them too much. Comment now