Dating apps and websites have been the new hookup bars for years. They facilitate quick sex without commitment, although according to sources from Tinder (one of the most popular dating apps), 80 percent of its users are looking for a stable relationship. Whether it’s true or not, while you wait for love to emerge, you can hang out, and that’s what many singles of both genders do who want erotic encounters without spending a lot of time hunting, just what Tinder promises.
However, research by psychologists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (UNCT) refutes the myth that Tinder users have more sexual partners than those who do not use this service, launched in 2012 and that it already has more than 20 million users in 196 countries.
Women are more selective
The authors of the study analyzed the behavior of 641 students from their university between the ages of 19 and 29, of whom around half use dating apps. And they found that those who signed up for these services and reported seeking casual sex did not find it more often than those who shared their goals but focused on bars, restaurants, friends’ gatherings and other traditional seduction settings.
What the research does say is that men and women differ in the way they use Tinder and other similar apps. Women spend more time in them because they reflect more before deciding to approach a stranger. Men, on the other hand, get to the point and try to contact a greater number of candidates in less time. Their photos are enough to attract them; they need to work harder: if they don’t write anything in their bios, they get four times fewer matches (the equivalent of a Facebook like). But don’t worry too much either: according to the New York Times, there are 988 rejections for every twelve hits on Tinder.
Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Professor of Psychology at the UNCT, states that “women are more demanding, and men more impatient, something that is explained by evolutionary reasons. They have much more to lose if they join low-quality couples” . The explanation is obvious, and it reminds us that we are animals: females run the risk of becoming pregnant, with all the wear and tear that this entails, and males do not. Although female emancipation and contraceptives have changed the rules of the game, the weight of genetic inheritance is still observed in the different sexual strategies of each gender. In this case, culture has not entirely defeated biology.
And why are they joining?
The study has also looked at what leads men and women to use Tinder. According to the surveyed subjects, this app is above all a diversion that they turn to when they are bored or have nothing to do. In it, viewing profile photos is very simple: just slide your finger on the screen. If you do it to the left, you discard that person; but if it’s to the right, you indicate that you like it. If the attraction is reciprocal, you can start chatting.
But here there are also gender differences. According to the main author of the research, the clinical psychologist Ernst Olav Botnen, the men surveyed “tend to say that they use these apps in search of sporadic sex and adventures. They also do it to find a partner, but to a lesser extent than women.” On the other hand, the results indicate that many users join Tinder to feel that they are attractive and gain self-esteem, something less common among men.
And what about infidelity? Only eight of the study participants reported having a partner, so the authors do not comment on this. However, a survey by Global Web Index in 2015 noted that 42% of Tinder users have a partner.
