Dating apps like Tinder and OkCupid cause depression if you are lonely and you don't get a match: Study

If you frequently check dating apps on your phone, you may feel more depressed. According to a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, people who always checked dating apps on their phone felt more lonely than they did before.

A survey was conducted on 269 undergrads from Ohio State University who used at least one dating app on their phone. As part of the study, participants were asked questions about their loneliness and social anxiety.

The study found loneliness and social anxiety is not a good combination for single people who use dating apps on their phones. It also found out lonely and socially anxious people experienced negative outcomes because of their dating app use more than others.

“It’s not just that they’re using their phone a lot,” said Kathryn Coduto, lead author of the study and doctoral student in communication at The Ohio State University.

“We had participants who said they were missing school or work, or getting in trouble in classes or at work because they kept checking the dating apps on their phones.”

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Coduto said it is a problem she has seen firsthand.

“I’ve seen people who use dating apps compulsively. They take their phones out when they’re at dinner with friends or when they’re in groups. They really can’t stop swiping,” she said.

Compulsive users feel more confident in their own virtual world of dating apps than the real world. And they are constantly after that validation while swiping obsessively on these apps.

Coduto also pointed out that social anxiety is caused by societal rejection which is why swiping and not getting matched hurts.

So...should you be using these dating apps or not?

Dating apps are here to stay, no matter what. Researchers warn users against spending too much time on these apps or constantly checking them on their phone.

“At the end of the day, these apps are coming out of our major tech centers, and they exist to get money for someone somewhere,” Coduto said.