Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world, with an estimated 75-million active users each month. But new research reveals that many of those users aren’t swiping for dates at all.
Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine wanted to understand more about people’s motivations for using the app, so they surveyed nearly 14-hundred users to find out why they’re on Tinder. The users range from ages 17 to 84 and were asked about everything from their relationship status to the number of matches and offline dates they had, as well as their satisfaction with Tinder.
- The survey results show that half the users said they’re not interested in meeting offline for dates.
- Nearly two-thirds of them are already in a relationship or even married.
- So if they’re not looking for a romantic partner or even someone to hook up with, what are they doing on Tinder? Many users report using the app for social connectedness, for entertainment or distraction, to increase positive emotions and to cope with negative ones.
- Study participants rated their overall satisfaction with Tinder a 2.39 out of 4-points.
- “We call them dating apps, but they’re clearly serving other functions besides dating,” says study author Elias Aboujaoude, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Source: Futurity