Elite Daily has interviewed two dating and mental health experts in an attempt to ascertain whether apps like Tinder can be psychologically damaging.
Licensed therapist and dating expert Dr. Anita Chlipala told the site that among her clients, dating app use seemed to correlate with higher instances of anxiety and depression.
Rejection, ghosting and low match rates can have a cumulative impact on well-being, she adds, and lower self esteem.
Regarding her clients that have informed this opinion, Dr. Chlipala says: “They wonder what is wrong with them, and they’ve developed a ‘guard’ because they’ve been hurt so many times.”
Another effect of heavy app use is that it can discourage investment in a single partner. There is always the potential of a better match, and this weighs on the mind of users as they browse and message simultaneously.
Dr. Jennifer B. Rhodes, a licensed psychologist and founder of Rapport Relationships, says that being present in the moment when you are on a date, and making sure you are using the app in a way that benefits you as a user, can help mitigate some of the negative effects.
Dr. Chlipala adds that daters should concentrate on not taking rejection personally, instead seeing it as a lack of compatibility and nothing negative.
The article closes by suggesting that dating apps can be addictive, and that using them in moderation is important, as with anything of that nature.
Read more here.