While plenty of happy couples can trace their meet-cute moment to an online dating app, many others find the never-ending process of likes, swipes, taps and awkward DMs that go nowhere to be exhausting 含羞草研究社� leading to a phenomenon known as 含羞草研究社渄ating app burnout.含羞草研究社�

That was the case for Marilyn Espitia, a 31-year-old freelance photo editor and photographer in California who first ventured into online dating in college, when she met her former partner and now father of her child on OkCupid.

Today she is single, and has been for about three years. While she含羞草研究社檚 still a 含羞草研究社渉opeless romantic含羞草研究社� who plans to keep using these platforms 含羞草研究社� primarily Hinge 含羞草研究社� Espitia says she含羞草研究社檒l get off an app or pause her profile when it becomes a little too much.

含羞草研究社淚t starts getting overwhelming,含羞草研究社� Espitia said.

Licensed clinical psychologist Yasmine Saad says that about 3 out of every 4 people she works with use dating apps, and anywhere between 80 to 90% have expressed feeling similar fatigue or burnout as Espitia at some point.

That含羞草研究社檚 due in part because success is never promised with online dating, regardless of whether you含羞草研究社檙e looking for a lifelong partner or casual fling.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a very difficult process for people because you invest a lot, then you receive little,含羞草研究社� said Saad, founder and CEO of Madison Park Psychological Services in New York. 含羞草研究社淚t triggers a lot of hopelessness and a lot of self-esteem issues.含羞草研究社�

Kathryn Coduto, an assistant professor of media science at Boston University who has been studying online dating since 2016, says dating app burnout is probably as old as the apps themselves, noting that people had experienced fatigue with earlier desktop-dominant platforms like eHarmony or Match.com as well.

But these days, burnout may be intensified by the fact there含羞草研究社檚 an app for just about every part of our daily lives, and that constant connectivity can be too much. Pandemic-era 含羞草研究社淶oom fatigue含羞草研究社� has spilled over into other areas of tech consumption, Coduto said, and online dating isn含羞草研究社檛 immune.

That doesn含羞草研究社檛 mean dating apps are going away anytime soon. Research shows usage has remained relatively stable over recent years.

said that reported ever using an online dating site or app as of July 2022 含羞草研究社� identical to the share found in , months before COVID-19 impacted much of daily life, .

While there was some uptick in new user downloads at the start of the pandemic, Coduto含羞草研究社檚 research found more of a spike in usage from those who already had dating apps and were spending more time on them during lockdowns. But those same lockdowns also limited in-person interactions, and the ripple effects are still being felt today.

含羞草研究社淭he pandemic increased loneliness,含羞草研究社� Saad said. 含羞草研究社淏ut it also boosted the hopelessness 含羞草研究社� because even the apps were not meeting the needs of people for socialization.含羞草研究社�

For Jennifer Stavros, a freelance journalist in Los Angeles, her time in the online dating world has 含羞草研究社渂een a mixed bag.含羞草研究社� While she含羞草研究社檚 still giving platforms like Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid a try, Stavros notes she含羞草研究社檚 experienced a recent cycle of matches that don含羞草研究社檛 go far.

含羞草研究社淚 have a conversation 含羞草研究社� and it含羞草研究社檒l go okay. (But) then it will just drop, or it含羞草研究社檒l just hit a wall somewhere,含羞草研究社� Stavros, 42, said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not making me feel super hopeful.含羞草研究社�

Others add that it can also become easy to forget there are people on the other side of those swipes and likes, making them feel dismissed while looking for connections.

含羞草研究社淚 think that sense of swiping endlessly absolutely plays into burnout,含羞草研究社� Coduto said. 含羞草研究社淵ou含羞草研究社檙e treating people like a card deck because that含羞草研究社檚 what you含羞草研究社檙e looking at.含羞草研究社�

Yumei He, an assistant professor of management science at Tulane University含羞草研究社檚 Freeman School of Business who has also been studying online dating, said that hurtful experiences 含羞草研究社� such as being ghosted 含羞草研究社� can cause users to not trust a platform, or assume all future interactions there will end up the same way, leading them to log off and decide that 含羞草研究社渄ating is important, but my security, my self (worth) is more important.含羞草研究社�

And of course, burnout doesn含羞草研究社檛 look the same for everyone. Experiences can range widely depending on gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity. Researchers have found that women and genderqueer individuals, for example, are more likely to face harassment than men, while racial and ethnic minorities are often fetishized in online dating spaces, or experience other discrimination resulting from sexual racism.

The trauma of experiencing discrimination and other abuse on a dating app can make it very difficult to stay on a platform or trust it again, Coduto said.

Companies are increasingly navigating ways to address all of this. Hinge, for example, in April launched 含羞草研究社淗idden Words,含羞草研究社� which allows its users to filter out words, phrases and emojis in their incoming likes and comments. A Hinge spokesperson says this feature is aimed at helping vulnerable groups 含羞草研究社� particularly women, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals 含羞草研究社� avoid unwanted interactions based on personal preferences.

Gay dating and social networking app Grindr of potential safety threats in their area, which has been particularly critical for LGBTQ+ people in countries who may face police raids and other dangers, CEO George Arison said in an interview. Users are also able to 含羞草研究社渟urf the grid含羞草研究社� on incognito mode, which is typically a paid feature, for free in some locations, he added.

含羞草研究社淎ll Grindr users are under some form of challenges in their lives,含羞草研究社� Arison said. 含羞草研究社淥ur job has always been to create a safe environment for people to be who they are.含羞草研究社�

When asked about dating app burnout overall, Arison said 含羞草研究社渨e含羞草研究社檝e not seen any fatigue of Grindr users含羞草研究社� but he noted there含羞草研究社檚 growing hunger for innovation.

That含羞草研究社檚 evidenced by the scores of updates that have recently emerged across various dating apps 含羞草研究社� from a new prompts option on Bumble, which shifts how the platform historically facilitated its 含羞草研究社渇irst move,含羞草研究社� to Tinder含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淢atchmaker含羞草研究社� feature allowing friends to recommend profiles for each other and Hinge含羞草研究社檚 tests of 含羞草研究社測our turn limits含羞草研究社� to help fend off ghosting.

A handful of popular platforms, including Grindr and Tinder, say they含羞草研究社檝e started integrating artificial intelligence to help identify potential harmful messages and other safety precautions. Some are also looking at AI possibilities such as using the technology to strengthen matching algorithms or offer users含羞草研究社� message prompts and date ideas.

含羞草研究社淲e are just scratching the tip of the iceberg,含羞草研究社� said Anindya Ghose, Heinz Riehl Chair Professor of technology and marketing at New York University含羞草研究社檚 Stern School of Business, who believes AI could help alleviate burnout but transparency will be key.

Such innovations may be a way to keep people hooked on dating apps. Espitia is among those who say she含羞草研究社檇 be open to seeing platforms implement further updates 含羞草研究社� including the use of AI 含羞草研究社� if it helps improve connections with people around her.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e in this new age of finding love,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淧eople really are like starved for love 含羞草研究社� and I think if that (technology) can help, why not?含羞草研究社�

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