A survey of over one thousand Tinder users found that were not interested in meeting anyone, and nearly two-thirds were already married or "in a relationship."

Instead of being used to find dates, people instead it has a similar appeal as social media - a source of entertainment, distraction and self-esteem.

The data were 1,387 English-speaking Tinder users, ages 17 to 84, asking about their motivations for using the app; the number of matches and offline dates they had; their relationship status; their selectiveness in choosing partners; and, among other factors, psychological measures like impulsivity, depression, loneliness and self-esteem.

The users also rated their overall satisfaction with the app, as well as their satisfaction with offline dates.


Don't get more than your hopes up. Most people just want some attention, they don't want to go out with you.

Many people reported using the app for social connectedness, for entertainment and distraction, to increase positive emotions, and to cope with negative ones. Variables with the strongest positive influence - meaning it led to more satisfaction with the app - included using the app for its intended purpose of finding romantic partners or people to socialize with, and a greater number of "matches". In contrast, those with the strongest negative influence - leading to less satisfaction - included using Tinder to cope with negative emotions, an avoidant attachment style (being more guarded in relationships), and psychological qualities like impulsivity (especially lack of premeditation and perseverance) and depressive mood.

The results suggest that online dating is an ineffective coping mechanism for those facing mental health challenges, Aboujaoude said. As someone who has studied problematic internet use for 15 years, he drew parallels to social media use, which can exacerbate conditions like depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.