Phone dating apps are now one of the most popular ways of searching for partners. Public media accounts frequently discuss the mental health cost of app dating and the presumably taxing culture of commodification that they promote, but scientific evidence on the topic is scarce. According to objectification theory, the overreliance on physical representation and visual input on swipe-based apps would entail that users have likely higher levels of self-objectification than non-users. We hypothesise that these heightened levels of self-objectification are reflected in lower self-esteem, which in turn is associated with poor mental health. Drawing on data from the German Family Panel on singles’ partner search strategies (N = 987 men and 800 women), the chapter investigates whether using dating apps, as well as dating websites and online social networks, predicts higher levels of stress and depressive symptoms. Results from random-effects models indicate that searching for partners on apps is linked to greater stress among men. Contrary to expectations, however, the effect was not mediated by self-esteem. The results do not show a dating app or social network effect on women’s mental health; instead, dating website use predicts women’s depressive symptoms, an effect largely explained by self-esteem. Overall, the study found that dating apps bear some mental health costs, although not to the extent and for the reasons previously imagined.
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