They're the modern way to find love according to the 323 million people who use them worldwide, but dating apps are fuelling an obsession with cosmetic surgery that may not have a happy ending.
A new study by researchers at the University of South Australia has shed light on how dating app female users are far more likely to undergo cosmetic procedures and digitally alter their looks on screen than non-users.
The emphasis on appearance, particularly with the swipe-based apps, plays a role in influencing 20% of women to change their looks via dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections in particular.
UniSA Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) graduate, and provisional psychologist, Naomi Burkhardt, who led the study published in Computers in Human Behaviour, says that while the increasing popularity of dating apps has reduced the stigma of using them to find love, there is a downside.
"The visual nature of dating apps, which prioritise photo-based profiles, places significant pressure on users to present themselves in an idealised matter which is not genuine," Burkhardt says.
The researchers surveyed 308 Australian women aged 18 to 72 and found that nearly half of them had used a dating app in the past two years and one in five reported undergoing at least one cosmetic procedure.
Women who used dating apps had significantly more positive attitudes towards cosmetic surgery compared to non-users and those who altered their appearances digitally were also more likely to consider cosmetic procedures.
Apart from the pressures to enhance physical appearance, dating apps could also be partly responsible for an increase in overall body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, anxiety and poor self-esteem among women.
Earlier studies have investigated links between social media use in general and an increased acceptance of cosmetic surgery, but there is little data looking at dating apps specifically.
UniSA co-author Lauren Conboy suggests several interventions to address the psychological impacts of dating apps, including incorporating features that promote authenticity.
"Introducing more personality-based matching algorithms could also be considered to reduce the emphasis on physical looks, and apps could offer built-in body image interventions such as self-compassion exercises to mitigate the pressures to alter one's appearance."
Online dating has become increasingly popular in recent years and the trend is expected to continue, with dating website eHarmony predicting that by 2040, more than 70% of relationships will begin online.
UniSA co-author Dr John Mingoia, an online lecturer in psychology, says that dating apps have the potential to create healthier environments, where users can connect without feeling the need to confirm to unrealistic beauty standards.
"Hopefully this research can guide future studies to develop interventions to improve the authenticity of dating app use as well as support practitioners to better identify the motivations for women wanting to change their appearance," Dr Mingoia says.
Notes for editors
"Swipe, Style, Surgery: Exploring Dating App Use, Self-Presentation Style, and Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery" is authored by University of South Australia researchers Naomi Burkhardt, Dr John Mingoia and Lauren Conboy. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2025.108568
