The times of dating apps are over: Tinder is passé

Are you still swiping left and right to find the love of your life? Sorry, but that's a bit out of fashion.

Dating apps have had their best years, experts say. The times of Tinder have faded, because: it actually yields very little. Enthusiastic daters are too often disappointed. Someone is very different from what their profile pictures suggest. Someone doesn't show up, someone falls flat in terms of humor and conversation after all those weeks of chatting, or you only receive ordinary nude photos when you create a profile on Happn, Plenty of Fish, or Badoo. The offer seems large due to all those different apps, but itoften falls short in practice.. The real gems are not really there.

Serious research is being done in science on Tinder. What turns out? People are now Tinder-weary. Dating-weary. Tinder was hot and hip in 2012. Not anymore. People in a relationship probably sometimes think: wow, how nice, all those apps, I wish I could browse around there. But in real single life, it rarely leads to a seriously fun date. A real connection. A romantic date that ends in wild kissing on the street and loving glances. According to scientists, ‘dating apps have not made dating easier at all. On the contrary.’ This has to do with what they call the ‘paradox of choice’ in psychology. You suddenly have too much choice, through those few clicks on your phone, and that only makes it harder. You quickly think during a boring conversation: hop, I'll swipe further, thank you, next. You have less commitment because there are still more fish swimming in that app. Plus: you can have fourteen conversations side by side with multiple potential loves. Every day staying with a different one if you want.. It doesn't make it any better. Because the temptation always lurks again. And the biggest pitfall of online dating: people are always different online than in real life. In photos, yes honestly, we all look a bit more sociable, right? You simply don't choose a picture in your profile that shows how you just wake up in your XL pajamas without makeup and with tangles in your hair and a hangover breath coming from your mouth. You can also be funny on your phone while you have little meaningful to say in real life. You can also come across as very smart, sweet, or cheerful on the app while you are not really that.

It's not so strange that singles don't often succeed in all those apps. Worldwide, more than 50 million people use Tinder and there are 1.6 billion swipes per day. Users log in an average of 4 times a day to sniff around for fresh meat. But probably not for long anymore, if we are to believe science. Those little bars where you, don't be shocked, can really talk to people are interesting again. So back to the couch if you want someone to kiss on New Year's Eve. And feel free to leave your phone at home.