A new phenomenon has recently emerged that has made it more difficult for people to find “the one,” a study reveals.
Researchers have found that young adults are experiencing “social media confusion” caused by dating apps and platforms.
The sites increase the temptation and desire to find a new partner, making people less likely to stay in a relationship, researchers say.
And users are exposed to more attractive and wealthy people than ever before, distorting their expectations of a potential partner.
The team suggested that people aged 18 to 30 now value “pleasure” over long-term stability.
Researchers have found that young adults are suffering from “social media confusion” caused by dating platforms and apps that have distorted the way people judge their choices, even in current relationships.
“Human mate selection is a complicated psychological process, which is indeed influenced by multiple social factors, including appearance, personality and financial status,” said Chayan Munshi, founder and executive director of the Etophilia Research Foundation in Santiniketan, India.
The pool of accessible partners has grown to extreme levels: an estimated 60 million people in the United States were using online dating platforms in March, out of the 117 million people who are currently single.
The new study will be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague this week.
The survey asked participants questions including: “Do you feel confused when selecting a life partner?”, “What are your criteria for selecting a life partner?”, “Do you still look for other partners if you are already in a stable relationship?” and “Do you like to switch to a ‘better option’ when selecting a life partner?”
Women reported experiencing more confusion than men when looking for a partner.
But overall, people’s uncertainty about who was actually available to date affected their ability to judge a potential partner.
Those already in a relationship might download a dating app just to see the other options, “for example, impulsivity is significantly exhibited and there is a decrease in in-person social interactions,” Munshi said.
‘This exposes the confusion that exists when people are looking for a partner and can manifest complexities when it comes to maintaining a relationship.’
More than that, the increase in access to sexually stimulating or attractive content has distorted what people expect from a potential partner, including their appearance, personality and financial situation.
With the advancement of AI and filters, people are changing their photos to look better than everyone else, with smoother skin, fuller hair, and other attractive qualities.
One woman said she came across a profile with a more enhanced photo and told her: Fashion:I was feeling bold, so I texted him: ‘Is this AI?’
“She said, ‘Yeah, can you tell? ‘ I was a little taken aback. Then I worried about other women, who might not be as media-savvy and wouldn’t be able to tell.”
This exposure “creates certain perceptions of reality in the young mindset, which ultimately leads to confusion in terms of selecting potential mating partners,” Munshi said.
Women reported experiencing more confusion when searching for a partner than men, but overall, people’s uncertainty about who was actually available to date affected their ability to judge a potential partner.
However, the study’s authors said more research is needed to better understand how social demands are causing young adults to feel pressure in the online dating world.
The findings suggest that the “pleasure index” or “adrenaline rush” in relationships has become more important than “long-term stability,” which can affect young people’s mental health.
‘It is alarming that impulsivity or confusion can lead to instability in the maintenance of human relationship behavior, which actually affects the normal social behavior of human beings.’
“The pattern is now notable enough to indicate that this could modify the social norms of mate choice behavior in young humans, which could have a significant effect on the brain-behavioral circuit,” the study’s author continued.
‘In the long term, this could end up altering the fundamental protocol of evolutionary mating strategies.’