13/02/2018 Tinder: Swiping Self Esteem?

August 4, 2016

Tinder: Swiping Self Esteem?

Study suggests users of popular dating app feel more negative about themselves than nonusers

DENVER — Whether they’re swiping left or swiping right, male users of the popular dating app Tinder
appear to have lower levels of self-esteem and all users appear to have more negative perception of
body image than those who don’t use the app, according to research presented at the annual
convention of the American Psychological Association.

“Tinder users reported having lower levels of satisfaction with their faces and bodies and having
lower levels of self-worth than the men and women who did not use Tinder,” said Jessica Strübel,
PhD, of the University of North Texas, who presented the research that she co-authored with Trent
Petrie, PhD, also of the University of North Texas.

Tinder is a dating app available on mobile devices with a reported 50 million active users. Individual
profiles are rated by other users as acceptable by swiping right or unacceptable by swiping left. If two
users deem each other acceptable, then they are “matched” and can begin communicating with one
another.

In the study, 1,044 women and 273 men (mostly undergraduate students) were asked to complete
questionnaires that asked about their use of Tinder as well as about their body image, sociocultural
factors, perceived objectification and psychological well-being.

Approximately 10 percent reported using Tinder. Both male and female users reported less
satisfaction with their bodies and looks, compared to non-users, said Strübel, but only male Tinder
users reported lower levels of self-esteem.

“We found that being actively involved with Tinder, regardless of the user’s gender, was associated
with body dissatisfaction, body shame, body monitoring, internalization of societal expectations of
beauty, comparing oneself physically to others, and reliance on media for information on appearance
and attractiveness,” said Strübel.

As a result of how the app works and what it requires of its users, people who are on Tinder after a
while may begin to feel depersonalized and disposable in their social interactions, develop
heightened awareness (and criticism) of their looks and bodies and believe that there is always
something better around the corner, or rather with the next swipe of their screen, even while
questioning their own worth, according to Strübel.

While this study was primarily aimed toward women (hence the larger number of women in the study)
and their perception of objectification and self-esteem, the researchers say the results suggest that
men are just as affected by exploitation and low self-esteem as women, if not more.

“Although current body image interventions primarily have been directed toward women, our findings
suggest that men are equally and negatively affected by their involvement in social media,” said
Strübel.

It is important to note that while users tended to have lower self-esteem, this doesn’t necessarily
mean that the app is causing it, warned Strübel and Petrie. It could be just as likely that people with
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13/02/2018 Tinder: Swiping Self Esteem?

lower self-esteem are drawn more to these types of apps.

Because this study is one of the first to examine Tinder as a platform for observing men’s and
women’s psychological functioning, Strübel suggests additional research is needed to help
psychologists better understand the immediate, and perhaps long-term, effects of individuals’
involvement with these types of social media platforms.

Session 1262: “Love Me Tinder: Objectification and Psychosocial Well-Being,” Poster Session,
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2-2:50 p.m. MDT, Exhibit Hall ABC, Level-1 Exhibit Hall, Colorado Convention Center,
700 14th Street, Denver.

Presentations are available from the APA Public Affairs Office (mailto:public.affairs@apa.org) .

Jessica L. Strübel can be contacted by email (mailto:Jessica.Strubel@unt.edu) at  or by phone at (940)

369-8046.

Trent A. Petrie can be contacted by email (mailto:Trent.Petrie@unt.edu) or by phone at (940) 565-4718.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and
professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes
more than 117,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions
in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial
associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological
knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

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