Swiping for love may still have some social stigma, but it results in the same strong partnerships as those formed between people who met in person.
A new study published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One suggested that the first criticisms of dating apps were fomenting fear. Although Tinder, Bumble and other dating technologies are often associated with one-night stands, casual sex or short-term relationships, those who meet on these sites generally have stronger long-term relationship goals than those who do. in other ways.
According to a 2018 survey of 3,245 Swiss from the University of Geneva, the study’s author, Dr. Gina Potarca, said that “there are no differences between couples started through dating apps and those started elsewhere with regard to relationship and satisfaction with life ”.
In addition, she noted that women who found their partners through dating apps had “stronger fertility desires and intentions than those who found their partners offline”.
The study – entitled “The demographics of sliding to the right. An overview of couples who met through dating apps in Switzerland ”- noted that, over the past decade,“ phone dating apps have transformed the dating scene by normalizing and, according to some voices, gamifying the search digital by a partner ”.
But apparently, dating apps have also led more couples with different educational experiences to find love. The study noted an increase in the “mix” of “women with a high level of education and men with a low level of education”, according to a press release. This “may have to do with selection methods that focus primarily on the visual,” suggested Potarca, who prioritizes physical attraction based on the apps’ photos may cause more women to neglect their lack of education than they would personally do.
His research is especially relevant as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has made personal dating particularly dangerous and difficult, with many turning to apps as an alternative.
“Knowing that dating apps probably became even more popular during this year’s block and social detachment period, it is comforting to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools,” concluded Potarca.