- Dating apps could be damaging to our health, increasing the risk we'll turn to unhealthy behaviors to try and control our weight.
- A survey of 1,726 people found that men and women on dating apps had up to 26 and 14 times the chance of engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors respectively, compared to non-users.
- Fasting, vomiting, and using laxatives were the most common behaviors among men and women.
- "While we do not know if the people in our study were already engaging in these weight control behaviors before using dating apps, we worry that the use of these images and appearance-focused services could exacerbate those behaviors," said Alvin Tran, the lead author of the study.
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Some people love the highs and lows of dating apps. Others think they're ruining our chances of finding love. But according to a new study, swiping for a relationship could be damaging our health because it increases the risk we'll turn to unhealthy behaviors to try and control our weight.
A new study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, looked at the connection between using dating apps and body image.
The team analyzed survey results from 1,726 people in the US, assessing how much they used dating apps in the past 30 days, and whether they engaged in unhealthy weight control behaviors within the past 12 months, such as vomiting, fasting, using laxatives, meal supplements, or diet pills.
Results showed that the 183 women and 209 men using dating apps had up to 26 and 14 times the chance of engaging in the unhealthy eating behaviors respectively, compared to non-users.
Fasting, vomiting, and using laxatives were the most common behaviors. Nearly half of men and women on dating apps said they had stopped eating to lose weight, while 22.4% of women and 36.4% of men reported vomiting, and 24% of women and 41.1% of men said they had used laxatives.
Read more: Instagram posts encouraging eating disorders are 'spiraling out of control,' psychiatrists warn
"While we do not know if the people in our study were already engaging in these weight control behaviors before using dating apps, we worry that the use of these images and appearance-focused services could exacerbate those behaviors," said Alvin Tran, the lead author of the study.
"With the tremendous growth in dating app usage in the US, and an increasing number of studies linking their use to body image concerns and UWCBs, there is a need to further understand how dating apps influence health behaviors and outcomes."
Tom Quinn, the director of external affairs at Beat (the UK's leading eating disorder charity), told the BBC that not everyone who uses unhealthy weight control behaviors will have an eating disorder, and it's not necessarily a sign they will get one either.
"But such behaviors can contribute to the development of the illnesses for people who are already vulnerable and can prevent recovery for those who are ill," he said.
"It is important to note that this research does not prove a causal link between dating apps and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Nevertheless, it is important that dating app users who may be at risk of eating disorders are directed to sources of support."
If you or someone you love has an eating disorder, whether it has been triggered by a restrictive diet or not, call the National Eating Disorders Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237.