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We all know somebody who found love on an online dating app. If you are reading this, that person is probably not you. For most of us, online dating is frustrating, especially if you take it seriously. Potential suitors are often flighty, defensive, and shallow. People lie. People ghost. Sure, you may find exactly what you are looking for. But more than likely, you just end up being grossed out by the behavior of strangers. Online dating apps were supposed to make things easier. They were supposed to facilitate the search for true love.
Instead, more and more users of apps like Tinder have discovered dating dangers of online dating outweigh the potential rewards. While this post is not meant to discourage you from dating online, it is meant to educate you about the psychological risks, so that you will be in a better position to protect yourself.
Dating is inherently risky. Most relationships fail. Sometimes, you get your heart broken. Online dating, however, takes those costs to another level. In earlythe Pew Research Center published the results of a study about online dating in America. While it does note a few positive features, like convenience, the study also identifies some concerning trends.
One study published in BMC Psychology in March found that people who use online dating apps are more likely to be depressed, anxious, or to feel distressed as a result. Another study in Body Imagepublished inshowed that female Tinder users struggled with body image issues and that male users struggled with low self-esteem.
And according to the latest trends in plastic surgerysocial media and dating apps play a significant role in people turning to cosmetic surgery. It may be a little of both.
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What is clear is that we should be careful. Online dating is essentially a form of social mediaand we all know that social media interactions tend to be more toxic, divisive, and antisocial than most real world interactions.
The bottom line: one of the dangers of online dating is exposure to stressors that dispose some users to increased amounts of depression and anxiety. When dating in the real world, most of us only have one or two opportunities at a time.
A friend who has a friend, or perhaps someone you meet at a bar. Those are manageable numbers. But what if your friend had friends they wanted you to meet? When we have too many choices, decisions become overwhelming.
The famous jam experiment documents this phenomenon well. Basically, they found that people make apps decisions when they have fewer choices. He states that having too many choices is both exhausting and toxic, promotes unrealistic expectations, and encourages self-blame if we make the wrong decision. Think about dating this applies to the world of online dating. How many hundreds are potential matches have you swiped left on without giving so much as a second glance? How many times has the same thing happened to you? There is also a major paradox of choice when it comes to choosing the right dating app.
The bottom line: one of the dangers of online dating is an toxic of choice. It stresses you outincreases your anxiety, and leads to frustration and unhappiness. Rejection is a fact of life. There are more than 7 billion people on the planet, and not all of them are going to like you. Learning to deal with rejection in healthy ways is a key feature of adulthood. But surely we were never meant to be bombarded with rejection, right? Online dating apps do make it easier to meet people. But they also make it a lot easier to get rejected by them, too.
That means the vast majority of users will experience some form of rejection by hundreds if not thousands of other users. In fact, rejection is so commonplace in the online dating world that new terms due hookups shoes casual to be invented to catalog its various forms.
Some of my favorites:. People read article only react strongly when they perceive others have rejected them, but a great deal of human behavior is influenced by the desire to avoid rejection. Consider how well you handle strong negative emotions apps you proceed. The bottom line: one of the dangers of online dating is allowing rejection by strangers to compromise your self-esteem. You need to understand that the behavior of apps has nothing to do with your worth.
How many of you reading this have been catfished? Or how about kittenfished? The relative anonymity of online dating is inherently problematic when it comes to establishing trust. As trust is critical for the development of healthy, secure, and satisfying relationships, it follows that trust issues have a way of sabotaging them. People who struggle with trust issues also tend to struggle with anxious attachment styles, jealousy, are self-esteem, and even intimate partner violence IPV.
Measure saracortinez leaked expectations, and demand honesty and transparency from people you meet online. There are plenty of good, honest people who use online dating apps. Those who fit that description will have no problem revealing their true selves to you. Those who do not will reveal themselves as well. You just have to know what to look for.
As a general rule, if you feel like someone is trying to deceive you, they probably are. Trust your gut; intuition exists for a reason. The bottom line: one of the dangers of online dating is it can make you jaded. Trust issues ultimately compromise your ability to form healthy relationships with others. Internet addiction is a serious matter. Research on dating app addiction is still in its infancy, toxic the data suggests it is a cause for concern.
Obsession and compulsion are defining features of any addiction. Unfortunately, online dating apps can be incubators for those two behaviors. How many times have you found yourself compulsively swiping through potential partners?
10 Mind Games Toxic People Play On Dating Apps (Watch Out)
How many times have you found yourself obsessing over potential matches? Will they respond? Will they toxic me? Will I ever find true love? Most dating daters will never develop an addiction, but the point here is that online dating apps make it easier for those problematic behaviors to fester. Some notable statisticsfrom a recent survey conducted by Match. One of the just click for source things you can do is limit the time you spend using these apps.
You just need to be smart about it. Online dating is NOT the same as dating someone you met through a friend, or at Apps, or in school. You are going to be lied to. You are going to be rejected. It is simply the way online dating works. As you go forward, be aware of the psychological dangers of online are and take steps to protect your mental health. Get support from your family and friends.
We all deserve love. But nobody deserves to have their mental health compromised as they search for it. How has your mental health been affected by online dating? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
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