Are dating apps bad for your brain

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According to Amie Gordon, an assistant psychology professor from the University of Michigan, compatibility predictions remain a big mystery for relationship researchers. It remains unknown why some people end up together.

However, the world of online dating still remains largely understudied. While the algorithms of companies are essentially matchmaking black boxes, there is also a scarcity of research regarding how users are affected by this. Aboujaoude explains that this matter is gravely understudied.

The thought that a perfect match could be just a swipe away can be quite irresistible. According to biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, who is a senior research fellow of Indiana Universitys Kinsey Institute, explains that the brain is ready to become addicted, especially when it comes to love. The biological anthropologist notes that these dating apps are selling the greatest prize of life.

Elias Aboujaoude, a clinical psychiatry professor from Stanford University, explains that dating apps offer a rush to users when they receive a match or like. While the mechanisms at play remain unclear, the professor thinks that a reward pathway that is similar to dopamine could be at work. He notes that dopamine is known to be involved in several addictive processes. There is also data that suggests that the neurotransmitter can be involved in screen addiction.

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The last decade has seen a rapid rise in online dating, and with it, a whole new way of having fun and finding the one. Tracking the evolution of online dating, we learn that it actually started back in 1995 with the launch of Match.com.

Similar to other social media platforms, there are reasons to think that dating apps want to retain user engagement. Kathryn Coduto, an assistant media science professor at Boston University, explains that dating apps are businesses with people who want to make money.