Online dating research

Online dating research

The research study indicates that over the past decades, over 40 million unique visitors in the United States utilize online dating websites and more than 7 million online dating users have met face-to-face by their online partners  · Online dating communities are a growing industry, like social networking sites, and are similar in that they both provide interpersonal communication with others over the Internet. In contrast to social networking sites, online dating communities are tailored specifically to users who are looking for a romantic partner, connection, or encounter. In the following research study, I aim to examine user’s experience of the online dating Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins Testament to this fact, when Pew Research Centre first questioned Americans about online dating in , just 44% said the activity is a good way to meet people, and the majority thought it was a poor replacement for striking up relationships in the ‘real’ world. But the way we communicate, meet and express our love has changed dramatically since then, and when Pew Research Centre repeated the study ten years later, the number that considered online dating

Online Dating and Problematic Use: A Systematic Review | SpringerLink

Despite the constant growth in the use of online dating sites and mobile dating applications, research examining potential problematic use of online dating has remained scarce. Findings suggest that personality online dating research such as neuroticism, sociability, sensation-seeking, online dating research, and sexual permissiveness online dating research related to greater use of online dating services.

Sex-search and self-esteem enhancement are predictors of problematic use of online dating. Previous research coincides with online dating risks e. fear of deception and objectification tendency due to online dating services sites and apps design. Observations regarding methodological weaknesses and future research implications are included. Back inMatch. com was launched for public use as a popular global online dating service, online dating research.

Inlocation-based smartphone dating applications first appeared, which allowed users to access online dating anytime and anywhere, online dating research, making them ubiquitous, online dating research. Regarding the ubiquity of online dating, online dating research, Jung et al.

Greater use of online dating may not necessarily imply the existence of problematic use. However, previous literature in the field of internet disorders has found that extended use higher frequency of use is related to higher scores on smartphone addiction Haug et al. Yet, extended use is not sufficient to describe problematic use of online dating. Its aetiology and maintenance may be a reflection of diverse factors of different nature i.

biological, psychological, and social, online dating research. Hence, an interdisciplinary explanation i. biopsychosocial online dating research is needed. users seeking sex encounters are able to find other users at walking distance.

In fact, based on the interaction of person-affect-cognition-execution I-PACE model Brand et al, online dating research. sadness, frustration and anger and dysfunctional affective and cognitive responses in relation to dating apps e. In the scope of internet disorders, and more specifically addiction to social networking sites SNSsprevious research has reported that availability increases the number of people engaged in the activity, which can lead to excessive use Kuss and Griffiths In terms of mental health problems, previous literature has noted a positive correlation between depressive symptoms and time spent on SNSs Panticthe use of smartphones for different purposes, including SNSs and other media services e.

videos and chatrooms before going to sleep has been found to correlate with depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in adolescent populations Lemola et al. Considering the similarities of SNSs and online dating sites and applications and similar findings in online dating research e. low self-esteem related to higher use of online dating, higher availability of online dating sites leading to longer useit appears plausible to consider previous research investigating SNSs as a guide for online dating research.

In that sense, Pantic concluded that SNS use has created changes in how individuals relate to each other in the present time making social interactions more shallow and decreasing communication with family members Pantic At the same time, online dating may potentially change the dating scene because of the growth in popularity and ubiquity of the service due to smartphone applications.

Previous literature highlighted that time needed to form long-lasting relationships romantic and platonic is mismatched with the time users spent on online dating for that same purpose establishing a long-term relationshipthus favouring casual encounters over other types of dates Yeo and Fung that may potentially lead to longer-lasting relationships and stronger bonding. Social changes in relation to dating may not necessarily lead to detrimental effects.

However, research is needed to assess what types of changes are produced by the inclusion online dating research online dating in our day-to-day life and how these changes affect individuals in a multidisciplinary perspective. Contrary to other internet online dating research, problematic online dating research is still in its initial stage, online dating research, and as of today, online dating has not online dating research particularly studied in terms of its problematic use.

Considering the extended use that online dating services have in the present, and the concerns at the individual level i. mental health problems and societal level i. dating scene changesit seems appropriate to review previous literature in this field attending to the need of formulating new knowledge in relation to online dating use and problematic use.

Consequently, the aim of the present paper is to review the empirical evidence examining the use and problematic use of online dating, online dating research.

Considering that previous literature concerning online dating research use of online dating is scarce, the structure of this present review has been designed to assess and discuss relevant factors related to online dating use that may serve as the basis for further study of problematic use of online dating, online dating research. An extensive literature search in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement PRISMA Moher et al.

The search yielded a total of studies in Web of Science and studies in PsycINFO. A total of studies were identified which produced a final selection of 43 studies after inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied see Fig, online dating research.

Studies were excluded if they i primarily concerned cyberbullying and its derivatives, ii primarily concerned scams, and iii did not assess online dating as the main variable under investigation. This yielded 43 studies see Table 1only two of which specifically covered potential addiction to online dating. This section has been divided into six subsections which cover: i usage and motivation, ii personality correlates, online dating research, iii negative correlates, online dating research, iv impulsive behaviour, v substance use and behavioural addictions, and vi problematic use of online dating.

A total of eleven studies were found that examined the characteristics of use or motivations of online dating use. Out of the eleven studies, there were ten quantitative studies, all of which were cross-sectional Corriero and Tong ; Gunter ; Hance et al. One study examined heterosexual respondents only Hwangand another study focused on male homosexual populations only Corriero and Tongand the remaining studies did not differentiate between sexual orientations.

They were asked to complete an online survey that contained a subscale on active intentions from the Dating Anxiety Survey Calvert et al. However, there was no difference regarding income or education. Furthermore, in relation to age, it appeared that adults aged between 30 and 50 years were the most active users. Asians and Latinos and within online dating research same group i.

whites with whites. In order to do this, demographic measures i. age, gender, marital status, educational level and zip code of residence were taken; also willingness to date inter- and intra-racially was registered; however, the authors did not specify how they measured that variable willingness to date inter- and intra-racially.

Generally, dating online intra-racially was favoured over inter-racial dating. However, men were found to be higher in willingness to date inter-racially in online dating research to women. Nonetheless, considering the specificity of the sample, these results cannot be extrapolated to the general population, online dating research.

Further studies should consider including variability in terms of sexual orientations and cultural background to see if these findings can be replicated. positive distortions towards finding the perfect match. Taken together, the previous four studies indicate that young adult men are the most active online dating users tending to date intra-racially. However, three of these studies i. Gunter ; Houran and Lange ; Valkenburg and Peter were carried out before the launch of smartphone dating apps, the appearance of which could have resulted in different findings.

Regarding psychological characteristics of users, Kim et al. Furthermore, they found that users high in social skills i. sociabilitytogether with high self-esteem, and high relationship involvement were more likely to use online dating services in comparison to those with high sociability and high relationship involvement but with low self-esteem, online dating research. On the contrary, individuals with low self-esteem and low relationship involvement together with high sociability were found to be more active users compared to less sociable participants, and those whose self-esteem was high but who scored low on relationship involvement, online dating research, or vice versa.

To clarify, the effect was only found in the interaction between self-esteem and relationship involvement among those high in sociability. Seemingly, being sociable appears as an important predictor of higher online dating online dating research. In contrast to these results, a small survey by Stinson and Jeske of participants found that peer pressure influenced the decision to use online dating services instead of personality factors e.

sociability, introversion. The authors claimed that it may be due to the spreading popularity of online dating research dating that personality online dating research were not as predictive in regard to usage tendency.

In a study of respondents, Menkin et al. Conversely, if users were concerned about their own personal information, health and privacy, then their desire for uncertainty decreased.

Therefore, it may be argued that those young users who are looking online dating research casual sex encounters put themselves at higher risk than those who are not looking for sex. This hypothesis is discussed in a later section, online dating research. In more general terms, online daters search for companionship, comfort after a life crisis, control over the presentation of oneself to others, to refrain from commitment and societal boundaries, new experiences, and romantic fantasies Lawson and Leck In relation to control over self-presentation, it has been claimed that individuals with high rejection—sensitivity tend to feel more comfortable to express themselves in the online medium, and those who feel more comfortable expressing themselves online are found to score higher on online dating research dating use Hance online dating research al.

One of the reasons for high rejection—sensitive individuals to engage more in the online dating arena may be related to feeling less constrained to show themselves i. Nonetheless, it appears that common features in online dating like the absence of time limits i.

asynchronous communication and selective online dating research facilitate deceptive representations of oneself Hall et al. In a study of secondary survey data from US participants, Paul found that couples who met online had higher split up rates in comparison to partners who met offline, online dating research. Arguably, typical features of online dating services and apps such as asynchronous communication and selective self-presentation may negatively affect the quality of a long-term relationship between two online daters.

Consequently, further studies are needed in the form of longitudinal designs that would help establish the causes online dating research affect the quality of relationships initiated via online dating services. Overall, the results of this subsection show that the use of online dating platforms is widespread and has grown rapidly in the past few years.

In terms of use, younger adult men appear to be the most prevalent users of online dating services. In terms of motivations to use online dating, men favour sex appeal more compared to women. Regarding psychological characteristics, it appears that high sociability and high rejection—sensitivity are associated with higher use of online dating services. The studies reviewed suggest that there are some features in online dating services i.

sites and apps that could enhance the chances of deception and decrease the quality of long-term relationships. Nonetheless, online dating research, there are some methodological weaknesses e, online dating research.

the use of non-validated psychometric instruments, and non-representative samples that should be amended in future research so that the internal and external validity of these findings are increased.

As to the design, the research should consider longitudinal approaches to help establish the direction of causality i. is relationship quality affected by online dating or are there underlying factors that directly affect relationship quality.

Considering the association that exists between specific personality correlates and patterns of use, a total of seven studies Blackhart et al. All the studies assessed used quantitative and cross-sectional methods. Blackhart et al. This association was also reported in a study of US heterosexual participants Findings suggested that those high in sensation-seeking used online dating apps to look for casual partners and romantic dates Chan The authors also found associations between trust towards people, sensation-seeking, and higher use online dating research smartphones with increased dating app use, and a direct relationship between smartphone use and dating app use.

Arguably, there may be an association between excessive smartphone use and dating app use. They reported a positive correlation between sexual permissiveness and dating app use for casual sex dates.

11 Results from Studies About Online Dating | Mental Floss

The research study indicates that over the past decades, over 40 million unique visitors in the United States utilize online dating websites and more than 7 million online dating users have met face-to-face by their online partners There is shared knowledge about how to act in online dating sites. This has an influence on the ways average Finnish people describe the idea of desirable relationship in online dating ads. The study contained Finnish heterosexual online dating ads collected in The site was chosen because dating ads here were semi-structured. Besides the structured form there was also an open space for Testament to this fact, when Pew Research Centre first questioned Americans about online dating in , just 44% said the activity is a good way to meet people, and the majority thought it was a poor replacement for striking up relationships in the ‘real’ world. But the way we communicate, meet and express our love has changed dramatically since then, and when Pew Research Centre repeated the study ten years later, the number that considered online dating