When Tinder appeared on the scene in 2012, many thought it would make the minefield of dating an easier and quicker path to navigate, instantly matching singles who were attracted to each other on first impressions.
However, a new study into the different ways men and women use Tinder proves the dating app is actually making it more complicated to find a match, with many men playing the app like a game while women are more selective on who they swipe right for.
The study, led by Dr Gareth Tyson from Queen Mary University London, involved creating 14 fake male and female Tinder profiles in New York and London before liking thousands of Tinder profiles within a 100-mile radius.
The main aim of the study was to find out how many matches and messages each profile would receive.
According to the study, the fake female profiles matched with 8,248 males while the fake male matches matched with only 532 women.
As for messages, 7 per cent of male matches sent a message compared to 21 per cent of women.
In other words, men are more likely to swipe right than women but less likely to follow the match up with a conversation. Meanwhile, women only swipe right when they're genuinely interested in a person.
But the researchers said that the trend might be explained by what is known as a 'feedback loop'.
'Men see that they are matching with few people, and therefore become even less discerning: women, on the other hand, find that they match with most men, and therefore become even more discerning,' they suggested.
What's more concerning is when people are using the dating app.
The study found that most people use Tinder around 9am and 6pm – basically during their commute when they have nothing better to do that stare absentmindedly into the distance or pass the time swiping through Tinder on the off chance they might come across a profile they like.
So, if you do find a good match on Tinder, count yourself lucky.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
