Depression, social anxiety, and use of mobile dating apps

Depression symptoms and social anxiety are associated with greater use of mobile dating applications among women. The extent to which these are associated with dating app use is reported in the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

"With increased symptoms of social anxiety and depression, women may be even more likely to turn to technology for social connection, especially if alternative forms of social contact are reduced due to social avoidance," states Martin Antony and coauthors from Ryerson University.

Among men, the greater their social anxiety and depression symptoms, the less likely they were to initiate contact with matches on mobile dating apps.

"With mobile dating apps increasingly figuring into today's dating landscape, research studies such as Professor Antony's are vital to understanding their merits as well as their shortcomings," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.