Tinder, AdopteUnMec, Bumble… Dating apps have a negative impact on the mental health of the women who use them.
- Among women, dating apps generate depression and anxiety.
- Women are about twice as likely as men to experience depression in their lifetime.
The more women use dating apps, the more likely they are to feel depressed, says a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. These digital means of meeting also generate high anxiety.
Six motivations for using Tinder
To achieve these results, 374 participants responded to a battery of online surveys on the use of dating applications. “However, we cannot determine whether people with significant symptoms of anxiety and depression are more likely to use dating apps, or whether people become more anxious and depressed as a result of their use of dating apps.” , specify the authors of the research.
Scientists also reveal six motivations for using Tinder, in both men and women: the search for love, casual sex, communication, self-esteem and excitement. “Women use this technology more for social communication than men,” they write.
“Women are unlikely to make contact”
At last, “women are unlikely to make contact” on dating apps, the researchers conclude. They end: “Our results suggest that the extent and motivations for using dating apps are associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression.”
Women are about twice as likely as men to experience depression during their lifetime, especially because of potential pregnancies. Santé Publique France estimates that nearly 9 million people have been or will be confronted with depression, i.e. one in seven people in France.
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