Finding Intimacy Online

A Machine Learning Analysis of Predictors of Success

Bibliographic Data

ID22004609
AuthorsGermano Vera Cruz (0000-0002-8297-6933, Université de Picardie Jules Verne), Elias Aboujaoude (0000-0003-1216-8313, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA), Lucien Rochat (0000-0002-9992-2720, Addiction Division, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland), Francesco Bianchi-Demichelli (Sexual Medicine Consultation, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland), Yasser Khazaal (0000-0002-8549-6599, University Hospital of Lausanne)
Year2023
Volume26
Issue8
Pages604-612
Publication date2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2152-2715 • E-ISSN: 2152-2723
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1089/cyber.2022.0367
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited36

While an extensive scientific literature now exists on the use of online dating services, there are very few studies on user satisfaction with dating apps and with the resulting offline dates. This study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with Tinder use (STU) and the level of satisfaction with Tinder offline dates (STOD) in a sample of adult users of the app. The study also aimed to examine, among 28 variables, those that are the most important in predicting STU and STOD. Overall, 1,387 Tinder users completed an online questionnaire. A machine learning model was used to rank order predictors from most to least important. On a 4-point scale, participants' mean STU score was 2.39, and, on a 5-point scale, mean STOD score was 3.05. The results indicate that satisfaction with dating apps and with resulting offline dates is strongly predicted by participants' age and by their motives for using Tinder (enhancement, emotional coping, socialization, finding “true love,” or casual sexual partners), whereas the variables negatively associated with satisfaction were those related to psychopathology. Interestingly, 65.3 percent of app users were married or “in a relationship,” and only 50.3 percent of app users were using it to meet someone offline. Generally, participants who engage with the app to cope with personal difficulties seem more likely to report higher levels of dissatisfaction, suggesting that dating apps are a poor coping mechanism and highlighting the need to address underlying problems or pathologies that may be driving their use

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