Survey Finds Over Three Quarters Are Suffering Dating App Fatigue

A survey of 1,000 American dating app users has found that more than three quarters of them have felt fatigue with the dating app world in the last year. 

The research by Forbes Health found that younger generations of dating app users were more inclined to suffer, with Gen Z respondents shown to be the most likely to “always” feel some level of dating app exhaustion. Women were also more likely to feel burnt out with dating than men, with 80% feeling some level of burnout compared to 74% of men. 

Dishonesty proved to be one of the most likely causes of dating app fatigue, with one in five (21%) of those polled admitting to lying about their age, with men being more likely (23%) to manufacture the truth about their years than women (19%). Other little white lies included income (14%), dating history (13%), and hobbies and interest (14%). Height also played its part, with 15% of men and 11% of women admitting to lying about their height. 

“People who experience burnout with dating apps are exhausted from constantly meeting new people, failing opportunities and lies,” says Rufus Tony Spann, Ph.D., a certified sex therapist and Forbes Health Advisory Board member, in a statement. “Over time, the unfortunate misgivings of being on a dating app can cause someone to lose hope in the dating process and finding the right person.”

“If it’s taking you away from other meaningful activities in your life, or you find that you can’t stop and constantly think about using the app when you’re not using it, then those might be signs of problems,” adds Judy Ho, Ph.D., a triple board-certified and licensed clinical and forensic neuropsychologist and Forbes Health Advisory Board member based in Manhattan Beach, California.

Conducted for Forbes Health by One Poll, the study found that the average dating app user spends 51 minutes per day swiping for potential partners. The time increases slightly for love-hungry millennials (56 minutes), while baby boomers are dedicating the least time to finding a match at just 37 minutes.