New research shows online dating can cause feelings of anxiety.
(Source: Flickr)Dating apps could make you less likely to meet someone.
New research looking at the effect of the apps has found they can also cause feelings of anxiety.
Researchers at the University of Vienna, found those who swiped 'excessively' on apps like Tinder, experienced 'partner choice overload'.
Online dating was also found to make some people overly self-conscious and more reluctant to meet people in real-life over a fear of rejection.
One of the study's authors, Marina Thomas, who's researching for a PhD in Media Psychology at the University of Vienna, says dating apps can be so addictive:
'Dating apps can be just as addictive as any other social media platform where you can get positive feedback, and maybe even a little bit more because what is so fascinating about dating apps, that they allow you to see something very private, very intimate , how others present themselves as potential partners, so just profile browsing can be very fascinating.'
Of 464 young people in the study, who had experience using dating apps, the main negative effects of using the apps included, 'upward social comparison and a fear of being single'.
