You have full access to this open access article. Geolocation apps have radically transformed dating practices around the world, with profound sociocultural implications. Few studies, however, have explored their addictive potential or factors that are associated with their misuse. The present study aimed to assess the level of problematic Tinder use PTU in an adult sample, using a machine learning algorithm to determine, among 29 relevant variables, the most important predictors of PTU.
Among the most important predictors of Problematic use were the use of Tinder for enhancement reduce boredom and increase positive emotions , coping with psychological problems, and increasing social connectedness. Depressive mood and loneliness were among the middle-ranked predictors of PTU. In accordance with the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model of problematic internet use, the results suggest that PTU relates to how individual experience on the app interacts with dispositional and situational characteristics.
However, variables that seemed to relate to PTU, including lack of self-esteem, negative mood states and loneliness, are not problems that online dating services as currently designed can be expected to resolve. This argues for increased digital services to identify and address potential problems helping drive the popularity of dating apps. Data from Western Europe and North America [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] suggest that the majority of new intimate partner relationships now begin online, over a dating app or website.
Other reasons have to do with the built-in characteristics of the dating apps or websites themselves, such as the access they provide to a potentially unlimited number of mates; their ease of use; the minimal effort required to express interest or lack thereof e.
Among technology-supported dating platforms, smartphone apps are the most popular [ 3 ]. Women are more likely to use dating apps to find committed love and improve self-esteem, whereas men are more likely to use them to find casual sex. Furthermore, compared to younger users, older ones are slightly more likely to use dating apps to find casual sex partners [ 8 ]. Regarding the problematic use addictive-like use Footnote 1 of geolocation dating apps, a previous study of predictors [ 8 ] showed that self-esteem enhancement, casual sex and boredom were among the strongest.
