In recent years, it has become commonplace to see people selecting potential partners with the same gestures (and enthusiasm) they use to scroll through videos on TikTok or browse products in an online store. Swipe right for interest; swipe left to move on. What once involved the drama of meeting someone — glances, hesitation, approaching, rejection, discovery — has been compressed into almost “gamified” interfaces. Dating apps have expanded the possibilities for meeting people, but research in social psychology indicates that more options do not always mean greater satisfaction, more stable relationships, or better outcomes for all users.
Dating apps like Tinder didn’t invent desire or casual sex, social comparison, or the fantasy that there might be someone better just around the corner. Their innovation was to turn all of this into a search engine. But what happens when a human dynamic as old as romantic encounters begins to operate under the rules of a digital platform?
