Is Tinder A Hookup Site Or Dating Site?

Research explores why people use Tinder and what kinds of connections they make.

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Posted June 11, 2017 Reviewed by Lybi Ma

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Key points

Site
  • A survey showed the majority of people believe that Tinder is a hookup app.
  • The main reason people report using Tinder is that it’s popular and trendy.
  • Among those looking for romance, people are more likely to use Tinder to look for a relationship than a hookup.
Source: PublicDomainPictures courtesy pixabay CC0 license

Since its launch in 2012, the dating app, Tinder, has received quite a bit of publicity. It's one of the most popular lifestyle apps with over 10 million daily active users.

For the uninitiated, Tinder is a mobile dating app that allows users to locate other singles in their geographic area. Users fill out a brief bio and upload photos. They can then start viewing photos of other users who match their age, gender, and location criteria. Users swipe right if they like what they see and swipe left if they don’t. They are then notified of any matches, where both people swiped right on each other's profiles. Thus, users can quickly view hundreds of local singles and decide with a quick swipe of their finger if they’re interested or not.

In the popular media, Tinder very much has the reputation of being a 'hookup' app, designed to facilitate fleeting sexual encounters. At the peak of the Tinder hype, an article in Vanity Fair announced that Tinder represented the 'dawn of the dating apocalypse.' Whereas others in the popular media have suggested that many use the app in search of love.

So, why do people use Tinder?

Two recent studies shed some light on all of the hype.

A recently published study by Leah LeFebvre surveyed 395 young adults (ages 18 to 34) who said they had used Tinder.1 The study mostly involved open-ended questions regarding users' motivations for and experiences using the app. The researchers then coded participants' responses into categories.

So what was the most commonly cited reason for using Tinder? It's popular: 48.3 percent of the respondents indicated that the main reason they used Tinder revolved around its popularity—the media hype or the fact that many of their peers were using it. Only about 5 percent of those surveyed indicated that the desire for hookups was their main motivation for joining the site. This data is summarized in the table below.

Hookup

The participants were also asked what was the purpose of Tinder. When it came to people’s perceptions, not surprisingly, they were true to stereotype. 51.5 percent said they believed Tinder was designed for hooking up, 33.5 percent said dating, and 15 percent meeting people.

While this open-ended data is valuable, it doesn't provide the whole story on why people use Tinder. Participants in LeFebvre's study were asked what their main reason was for using the app, but people often have multiple motivations for their behaviors. Someone might primarily have joined Tinder because it seemed like the cool thing to do, but that person might also have a desire to meet a potential romantic partner or hookup.

In another recent study, by Sindy Sumter and colleagues, a sample of 163 Dutch Tinder users rated the extent to which various motives described their reasons for using Tinder.2​ The researchers then used a statistical technique to group those ratings into general categories. The categories and the average ratings of the participants for each category are summarized in the table below.

Like

The most common motives for using Tinder: it's exciting and it's trendy. Another common motive that wasn't cited in the LeFebvre study was self-worth validation. It was not uncommon for participants to use the app because they wanted positive feedback on Tinder or because receiving such feedback felt good. Naturally, finding a romantic partner was also a relatively common reason for using Tinder. As can be seen in the table, using the app for casual sex and hookups was actually less common than these other motives.

Not surprisingly, both studies also suggested that men are more likely than women to use Tinder for the purpose of seeking out casual sex.

These studies show that using Tinder meets a variety of psychological needs, beyond the obvious ones relating to dating and sex. Tinder can also be used to fulfill more general social needs. Both studies showed that the trendiness and excitement of the app were larger drivers of its use than motivations that relate to what most users believe to be its purpose (dating, sex). It can also help to fulfill our needs for self-worth. Receiving matches on Tinder can be an ego boost. On the other hand, not receiving matches could damage self-worth, and in fact, LeFebvre found that lack of success on Tinder, including not receiving matches, was one of the main reasons users quit the app.1

What do people do when they get a Tinder match?

In LeFebvre's qualitative study, 77 percent of the respondents indicated that they had met a match in person at some point, with the average participant reporting 4.58 offline meetings with matches. And in fact, 37 percent reported that a Tinder date led to an exclusive dating relationship. What about those infamous hookups? Well, these participants did do plenty of hooking up. Of those who met a Tinder match in person, only 21.8 percent indicated that they had never hooked up. Another 12.6 percent said they had hooked up but it didn’t involve sexual intercourse and another 65.6 percent said their hookups did involve sexual contact. In addition, the average number of hookups reported by the participants was just above three.

Is tinder a dating site or a hook up site

Participants in the Dutch study seemed to be less successful on Tinder. Slightly fewer than half of the participants (45.5 percent) had gone on an offline date with a match, and 18.6 percent reported having had a one-night stand. This rate is much lower, but other data from this study indicates that these participants were overall less active on the app than the participants in LeFebvre's study.

How do motives for using Tinder relate to people’s experiences?

You might also be wondering how Tinder users' motives for using the app relate to their actual use of the app. LeFebvre's qualitative data couldn't really address this question, but Sumter and colleagues were able to examine the association between Tinder use motives and participants' likelihood of going on a Tinder date or having a Tinder hookup.2

Those who were looking for love or casual sex were more likely to go on Tinder dates. Not surprisingly, the more that participants indicated casual sex as a motive for using Tinder, the more likely they were to have a one-night stand with a Tinder match. Those who used Tinder as a way to boost their feelings of self-worth were less likely to have a one night stand. Interestingly, those who used Tinder because it seemed like an easier way to meet people were actually less likely to go on dates with Tinder matches. Perhaps these individuals were especially likely to be shy and thus ultimately didn't follow through with their Tinder matches.

So what do we really know about Tinder?

Is Tinder A Hookup Site Or Dating Site? Reviews

Returning to the question that began this post, is Tinder really a hookup app? Yes and no. Tinder-initiated hookups are quite common, but the notion that Tinder is primarily about hookups is overstated. Tinder users are more likely to be seeking relationships than casual sex. Moreover, dating and sex are not the main reasons that many people are using Tinder.

These two studies give us a window into the motives of Tinder users, but ultimately it's hard to generalize the findings. As I pointed out, the actual dating and hookup experiences of the two samples of participants differed considerably. So which experience is closer to that of the typical Tinder user? It’s hard to definitively say without surveys that seek out a representative sample of Tinder users. Nonetheless, both studies suggest that much of Tinder's popularity is, ironically, due to its popularity. This may not be the best news for those who really do use Tinder to look for love or sex, as they may find that their matches don't take the app very seriously and aren't as interested in following through.

We also know very little about the long-term prospects of Tinder-initiated relationships. Traditional online dating websites, like match.com, have been around long enough that researchers are starting to understand the prognosis for those relationships and the types of people who use the sites. What does the future hold for Tinder and its users? Only time and more research will tell.

References

1. LeFebvre, L. E. (2017). Swiping me off my feet: Explicating relationship initiation on Tinder. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Published online before print. doi: 10.1177/0265407517706419

2. Sumter, S., Vandenbosch, L., & Ligtenberg, L. (2016). Love me Tinder: Untangling emerging adults’ motivations for using the dating application Tinder. Telematics and Informatics, 34(1), 67-78. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2016.04.009

Description

Welcome to Tinder — you can be here for a good time, and a long time, too. With 30 billion matches to date, Tinder® is the top free dating app, making it the place to meet new people. Whether you’re looking for love, need a date today, or just want to chat: We’ve got something for local singles everywhere, plus free features that give you the best dating experience possible. Like what? Glad you asked.
- Whether you’re gay or bisexual, be proud of who you are with our Orientation feature
- Prove you’re the real deal and verify your profile with Photo Verification
- Find out what you’ve got in common with your potential match with Interests
- Bring a plus one on all your dates for extra safety with Noonlight
Take us with you on your travels whether you’re dating in Berlin or dating in Chicago — wherever you go, we’ll be there. Some people call us their most dependable matchmaker, some people call us the world’s most popular free dating app, but you can just call us when you want to meet up with singles.
While you’re here — make a toast to the Tinder Gold™ life. Enjoy all of Tinder’s premium features with our top-tier subscription.
- Likes You allows for you to see all your fans, saving you precious time
- Unlimited Likes for you to catch feelings for as many people as you want
- Rewind for you to undo your last Like or Nope
- Use Passport to go anywhere in the world to find friends online outside your zip code
- Boost your profile to the top for thirty minutes to get more attention
- 5 Super Likes per day because sometimes you really, really Like someone
There’s a plus side for those not ready to commit to a relationship with a Tinder Gold™ subscription. With a Tinder Plus® subscription, you’ll unlock features including Unlimited Likes, Passport, Rewind, Boost, and 5 Super Likes per day.
Tinder Basics:
Match. Chat. Date. That’s our mantra. It’s easy and fun to find people on Tinder. Make your profile stand out with your best pics and a little something about you to increase your match making potential. Swipe Right™ on a profile to Like someone, swipe left to pass. If someone Likes you back, It’s a Match! And, there’s no pressure: We invented the double opt-in which means two people have to show a mutual interest in order for there to be a match. How many dating apps can say that?
Tinder is the biggest and flyest party in the world for singles — it’s about time you showed up.
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If you choose to purchase Tinder Plus® or Tinder Gold™, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. Current Tinder Plus® subscription price starts at $9.99 USD/month, and one-month, 6-month and 12-month packages are available. Current Tinder Gold™ subscription price starts at $14.99 USD/month, and one-month, 6-month and 12-month packages are available. Prices are in U.S. dollars, may vary in countries other than the U.S. and are subject to change without notice. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. If you don’t choose to purchase Tinder or Tinder Gold™, you can simply continue using Tinder for free.
All photos are of models and used for illustrative purposes only.

What’s New

Pesky bugs have been exterminated. Continue as you were.

244.6K Ratings

More than just a dating app, Tinder has been updated to become one of the most engaging, fun, and social apps around. Of course, finding matches is still a huge highlight—but with smart group chats, an awesome Apple TV app, and Super Likes to go around, we’re swiping right on this one.

It’s a fun app, that’s it

I feel like this app is whatever you make of it. I originally downloaded it shortly after my first long-term relationship ended expecting to find somebody to fill the hole that was left by that breakup, and my experience with the app was terrible. A few months later, I tried again, but this time with the expectation that I wasn’t going to find any meaningful connections, and I was pleasantly surprised when I met some great people.
Of course, who you meet and who you match with are entirely dependent on who you are and where you live, but in my experience I was able to find people I got along with pretty easily. I haven’t really found love on the app, but im not disappointed because that’s not why I gave the app another try.
Overall, it’s a good way to meet people and to talk to people. It can also be fun to meet up with said people, or to have a new person to play iMessage games with, but that’s about it.
I feel like too many people get tinder plus or tinder gold thinking that that will become their key to finding love, and truthfully it’s not. This app is supposed to be fun at its core, and their goal probably is more to keep you as a customer as opposed to having you delete the app. Treat it less like a serious search for love and you’ll be happier with your experience.

Oh boy

Just recently got out of a relationship and decided to dive back into the dating app world, and all I have to say is wow. Tinder has really slipped. What used to be a brilliantly simple and effective dating app has turned into a frustrating, convoluted, pay-walled mess. For Tinder to be even remotely useful, you have to pay for it. And once you do, you’re allowed features that are literally free on other apps. Wanna see who likes you? You’re going to have to pay more a month than you do on a Netflix subscription for that. Btw, Hinge does that for free. Wanna leave a comment on someone’s picture? Surely you can do that with the Gold membership, right? Nope. Gotta shell out even more money for ~platinum~. Guess who also does it for free? You got it. Hinge (and I think OKC too). And even after emptying your wallet on one of their higher subscription tiers, you still only get one boost a week, and you’re still hounded with pop ups every 10 minutes to try out their creepiest feature - the super like. All of this on top of the inherent dating app negatives (ghosting, catfishing, creeps, excessive filters, etc) and you’re in for a miserable ride. Save yourself the stress and money and try literally any app other than Tinder. Or just go to a bar. You’ll spend about the same amount of money but at the very least you’ll get a good buzz.

Is Tinder A Hookup Site Or Dating Site?

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Is Tinder A Hookup Site Or Dating Site Review

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Is Tinder A Hookup Site Or Dating Site Reviews

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