Modern Dating App Swiping Is Increasing Insecurity

Dating apps are contributing to higher levels of insecurity and emotional exhaustion among users, according to psychiatrist and attachment expert Amir Levine.

In a recent article, Levine argues that the design and business model of dating apps create an environment of constant uncertainty. Features such as endless swiping, intermittent messaging, and the ease of ghosting keep users in a state of relational ambiguity that activates the brain’s attachment system — the same neurocircuitry that once alerted ancestors to threats of separation from their group.

A 2025 U.K. cohort study found that dating app use was linked to increased loneliness, while a 2024 study reported that 78% of users felt emotionally exhausted. Another survey showed that 84% of users had been ghosted, and 66% admitted to ghosting others. These patterns, Levine notes, can lower self-esteem and make life feel less meaningful.

While many people still form meaningful relationships through apps, Levine suggests that the current environment often prioritizes scrolling and uncertainty over secure bonding. He encourages users to approach dating with a secure stance – prioritizing clarity and consistency over intensity created by ambiguity. Naturally, this may be a major factor in why many users are seeking out unconventional and intentional-dating-first platforms that have become far more common in recent months.

Levine emphasizes that attachment security is not fixed. Anxious individuals may interpret hot-and-cold behavior as passion, while avoidant individuals use vagueness to maintain distance. Both styles become trapped in cycles reinforced by app mechanics optimized for engagement rather than connection – with only a portion of users actually ahving the right personality match to avoid these insecurity issues.