Are Dating Apps Leading to Burnout?
All dating apps have the same concept: swipe on someone you find attractive, then have a short “get-to-know-me” conversation, which rarely leads to a date. Then, self-doubt sets in about why none of these matches are following suit.
Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble are all dating apps that have attributed to this sense of burnout, the question is: Are dating apps worth the stress?
Tinder, Hinge and Bumble are widely popular dating apps many Gen Z people use to find love. Although dating apps can be fun, they can also lead to burnout, including anxiety and depression.
When joining a dating app, not everyone may be looking for the same things, and differentiating who will suit you best can be stressful. Often, dates are no longer a topic of discussion, and many suitors rather “hang out.”
Ashley, a 20-year-old college student has been on dating apps for the last two years bouncing between Hinge and Tinder. Her desire for wanting a relationship began when she moved to New York City for college.
“Moving to a big city, the dating pool is so large. I thought I was bound to find someone,” Ashley explains.
Matches do not always lead to dates and that is very prevalent in today’s new dating culture. Rather than going on dates, many allude to their sexual wants rather than getting to know the person they match with.
A 2020 Pew Research Center survey found that 37% of online daters said someone continued to contact them after they said they weren’t interested, and 35% had received unwanted sexually explicit texts or images.
Jazmine, a 21-year-old New York City resident, states, “Getting to know men on dating apps is so difficult.” She goes on to ask, “What will it take for me to find a connection?”
The endless cycle of swiping and having no result can cause burnout, as many have reported feeling depleted and fatigued in their efforts to find love.
“People just get fatigued. They get overwhelmed with the whole dating process,” said Helen Fisher, a chief science adviser to Match.com.
As dating online has become the new way to find love rather than at a local coffee or through a mutual friend, it begins to feel it is a necessity to have apps to find love.
The constant disappointment causes one to ask themselves, “How is this affecting my mental health?” Dating apps can have an immense toll on a person’s confidence and self-worth. A solution to these problems can be deleting them all together or setting boundaries for yourself.
The improvement in one’s mood and energy can change drastically by limiting the amount of time spent on dating apps. The anger and resentment towards people will diminish, and they are no longer left feeling emotionally and mentally drained by the constant anticipation of matches to come in.
Research from Hinge found 61% of users were overwhelmed by the modern dating process, while a study conducted by Singles Reports in April of 2022 showed four in five adults “experienced some degree of emotional fatigue or burnout from online dating.”
Bumble encourages users to “browse mindfully”, meaning to prioritize other facets of their life. This can include friendships, work, and self-care. Ensuring you remain your top priority is key to not allowing dating apps to consume your world.
Tinder suggests using their Tinder Explore feature to feel safer. This feature allows users to search profiles that have topics of their interest. This way, users have more control over their search experience.
Overall, burnout is a universal feeling and when it comes to online dating it can become a chore. However, it is important to note these feelings so we can make changes and improve our mental health.
Have you experienced online dating burnout? Leave a comment down below.