A recent study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has determined the difference in the motivations of men and women when using Tinder. According to the research’s findings, which were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences , women primarily use dating apps in order to affirm their attractiveness and self-esteem, while men mostly utilize the service to engage in casual sex and short-term relationships.
In a statement to FirstPost , NTNU Associate Professor Mons Bendixen stated that the recent study found that women use dating apps to feel better about themselves . Females who participated in the study also regarded that being perceived as a potential partner is a notable positive.
Lead author Ernst Olav Botnen, however, stated that men have different motivations for using Tinder, in the way that they use a far more casual approach to the service. While men in the study primarily used the dating app for casual sex, however, the researchers found that men also use the mobile dating service as a means to seek out long-term partners, though to a lesser extent than short-term partners. Ultimately, the study found that men swiped right more often than women.
Quite interestingly, the NTNU’s study also found that women actually spend more time on Tinder. According to the researchers, this is due to women taking longer when considering each option before swiping left or right. This behavior is somewhat different compared to men, who are more efficient in the way that they make decisions faster. As noted in the findings of the study, men take only a short amount of time before they make a decision.
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NTNU professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair stated that ultimately, the study shows that women are more discerning when it comes to dating apps, while men are more eager. According to the NTNU professor, this could be due to the fact that women have more to lose by engaging in short-term, low-quality relationships compared to men. Ultimately, Prof. Kennair noted that the variations between men and women in the study’s results were the result of evolution.
“This has clear evolutionary reasons,” the NTNU professor said.
Overall, the researchers of the recent Tinder study concluded that while the mobile dating app presents a platform for casual sex, it does not necessarily offer a development that would lead to a change in sexual behavior. After all, according to the study, users and non-users of Tinder usually end up having roughly the same number of casual sex partners , as noted in a Gizmodo report.
The NTNU Tinder study was participated by a total of 641 Norwegian university students, ranging from ages 19 to 29.
