It is actually possible to find love on a dating app, says science

Everybody knows that nobody likes dating apps. Just last week Ofcom revealed that the UK’s top four dating apps had seen a dip in use since 2023, with Tinder losing 600,000 users, Bumble  368,000, Hinge 131,000, and Grindr 11,000.

But in spite of mounting frustration with the apps, people are evidently still using them – and successfully, too. Stanford University researchers have found that the vast majority of couples (61 per cent) now meet online.

Now, a new study affirms that it really is possible to find love on the apps, with researchers finding that that romantic relationships initiated through dating apps are not significantly different in quality compared to those formed in-person. The findings challenge the widespread perception that it’s pretty much impossible to find real love on the apps, often due to issues like users being dishonest on their profiles or fostering a culture of ‘disposability’.

It’s this “paradox” which interested study author Dr Mickey Langlais. “Since earning my PhD, I have been fascinated by the integration of technology in relationships, families, and development,” said Langlais, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences and Design at Baylor University.

“One facet that particularly caught my interest was the increased reliance on dating applications, often used to help form romantic relationships. When I began this research, dating applications carried a negative stigma, yet many of my students and friends mentioned meeting their partners through these platforms. Given this paradox, I wanted to compare how satisfied couples were based on whether they met in person or via a dating application.”

For the study, Langlais recruited 233 college students from a large US university. The participants completed an online survey about their relationship experiences. Among them, 120 participants were currently in a romantic relationship, while 169 had experienced a previous romantic relationship. 34 participants in current relationships met their partner through a dating app, while 86 met their partner in person. Similarly, 29 participants reported meeting their previous partner via a dating app, compared to 140 who met in person.

To measure relationship quality, the researchers assessed aspects such as satisfaction, intimacy, and trust. Participants rated their current or past relationships on a scale from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating better relationship quality. The research team then compared the relationship quality of those who met online versus in person.

The researchers found no significant differences in the quality of romantic relationships based on whether the couples met online or face-to-face. Participants who met current or former partners through dating apps reported levels of satisfaction, commitment, and passion on a par with those who met in person. Unfortunately, this may mean it’s time to redownload Hinge again.