Tinder users ‘have lower self-esteem’

If you look for love on Tinder, the person you are least likely to fancy is yourself, new research suggests.

Psychologists found that both men and women who turn to the popular dating app tend to have a poorer self image than non-users.

They were less satisfied with their bodies and appearance. In addition, men alone who used Tinder appeared to have generally lower levels of self esteem.

Tinder, which has a reported 50 million active users worldwide, allows people to “like” or “pass” members of the opposite sex with a right or left swipe of their smart phones.

If two users “like” each other, they are “matched” and can begin communicating.

Scientists asked 1,044 women and 273 men — mostly university students — to complete questionnaires detailing their use of Tinder. They were also quizzed about their body image, socio-cultural factors, perceived objectification and psychological well-being.

Around 10% of participants said they had used the app. While both male and female users reported less satisfaction with their bodies and looks compared with non-users, only men had lower levels of self-esteem.

Dr Jessica Strubel, from the University of North Texas, US, who co-led the research, said: “We found that being actively involved with Tinder, regardless of the user’s gender, was associated with body dissatisfaction, body shame, body monitoring, internalisation of societal expectations of beauty, comparing oneself physically to others, and reliance on media for information on appearance and attractiveness.”

Because of the way the app works, Tinder users were at risk of feeling “depersonalised and disposable”, said Dr Strubel.

The findings were presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting in Denver.