Dating apps may seem to help people find better partners because they give them access to a wider pool of options beyond those they meet organically, but a new study suggests otherwise.
This research also suggests that online dating can have negative effects on society. According to the research, these platforms can reduce social mobility and increase income inequality.
In theory, searching for a partner through a website or app should improve dating results, as it vastly increases the number of potential partners people can meet while also allowing them to choose based on criteria like age and hobbies. But a research paper examining data from 1960 to 2021 shows that these theories don’t hold up in practice.
The authors of the research article state that despite the widespread use of dating apps, the ability to find a partner has not increased significantly and the search costs have not decreased. The authors argue that people’s information processing and evaluation capacities determine their mate selection skills in the marriage market and that these abilities have not changed despite technological advances. This explains why efficiency and selectivity in dating processes have not increased.
“Given the prevalence of online dating, we would expect lower search costs and a marked improvement in the ability to meet potential partners. However, the findings do not support these predictions. Despite technological advances, limitations in individuals’ information processing capacity maintain inefficiencies in mate-finding processes.”
Dating apps can harm social structure
According to research, dating apps can be damaging to the social fabric. Filtering options based on higher education levels increase the likelihood that high-income individuals will marry high-income individuals, further fueling income inequality.
“Who people marry has a big impact on household income. Research shows that the two main factors contributing to inequality through mate selection are education and skills. Overall, the prevalence of online mate selection apps has led to a 3 percent increase in the Gini coefficient, which is used to measure income inequality.”