Tinder Lowers Mens Self-Esteem

Best case scenario on Tinder: you get what you’re looking for, be it a date, a wife, a quick tumble in the hay, whatever.

But chances are that’s not all you’re getting. You’re likely also breeding a negative perception of yourself — and no man in their right mind goes lookin’ for that.

According to new research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, whether a fella is swiping left or right, male Tinder users tend to have lower levels of self-esteem, and all users of the app have a lower perception of their body image when compared to non-Tinder users.

“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, co-author with Trent Petrie, PhD.

The researchers evaluated 273 men and 1,044 women regarding their Tinder usage, their self-image perception, social and cultural factors, perceived objectification and mental well-being. Of the 10% actively using the app, all felt dissatisfied with their appearance and men reported a low level of self-esteem.

“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.

But Strübel also cautions that Tinder may not necessarily be the direct cause of low self-esteem. Instead, it may simply be that individuals with low self-esteem are be more drawn to use these type of dating apps.

That said, the pervasive feeling of frivolity and disposability is familiar to anyone who’s ever taken a ride on the information dating highway. At the end of the day, a good ’ol fashioned drink thrown in your face might actually be better for a guy’s psychic well-being than the seemingly bottomless wellspring of mass-rejection that most of us find on Tinder.

Via Science Daily