Hinge Users Identify Strongest Red Flags in Feedback Survey
A recent investigation published by lifestyle outlet PureWow highlights how certain prompts and answers on Hinge are being perceived overwhelmingly as red flags by users – and may actively lead to matches being rejected. The article, which surveyed dozens of active Hinge users, identifies a set of prompt responses that tend to raise alarm bells rather than spark interest.
According to the article, users commonly flagged responses that telegraph low effort, shallow values, or signalling that the person isn’t seeking anything serious. For example, a users who jokes that they’ll text back in “3–5 business days” or a person whose profile implies they expect their dates to foot the bill are singled out as likely to attract a lack of interest in return. Replies that lean heavily on sarcasm, mention generic lifestyle clichés, or prioritise looks or superficial traits over genuine conversation are also frequent turn-offs.
Key turn-offs were things like transactional relationships focused on giving and taking, high levels of competitiveness, shallowness, or generic responses that didn’t give much insight into their match’s personality.
More broadly, such responses reflect a lack of investment or sincerity – two things that have become increasingly important to the online dating spaceby those seeking meaningful connections. Profiles dominated by one-word answers, negative tone, or an absence of personality are often interpreted as lazy or unserious
In some cases, prompts about being “chill,” being “too cool,” or signalling emotional detachment are read as a desire for casual engagement rather than commitment.
The surge of what might be called “anti-prompts” underlines a broader shift in online dating behaviours. Modern daters, especially younger users, are showing a growing intolerance for profiles that don’t reflect effort, clarity, and honesty. Like some similar trends that PureWow identified earlier this year, many of these red flags come from selfishness and a lack of tangible effort.
