Psychology and Sexuality· 2026Q1
Designed to be deleted: differential impacts of dating apps on men’s body image, mental health, and wellbeing
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Straight men using both gay and mainstream dating apps, and sexual minority men using only one app type, reported significantly higher anxiety symptoms compared to other groups.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- No significant differences were found in depression, stress, disordered eating, or self-esteem among men based on dating app type or sexual orientation.
- Men using both gay and mainstream dating apps reported increased anxiety symptoms.
- Sexual minority men using only one type of dating app also reported increased anxiety symptoms.
- These differences in anxiety were significant compared to other app-type groups.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Recent literature has identified that the use of mobile dating applications may be adversely related to men’s body image, mental health and wellbeing. Variations in the functionality of alternate dating app types may contribute to differential outcomes. This study aimed to compare the relationships between using mainstream or gay dating apps and men’s wellbeing. A survey of Australian men was conducted and assessed body attitudes, disordered eating, mental health, and self-esteem. The sample included 578 males (M = 34.22 years, range 18–69 years). A two-way MANCOVA was conducted to ascertain whether significant differences occurred amongst wellbeing outcomes based on app-type and sexual orientation while controlling for age. There were no significant between-group differences for app-type among depression, stress, disordered eating or self-esteem outcomes. However, differences emerged in anxiety outcomes among men who use different types of mobile dating platforms. Specifically, straight men who used both gay and mainstream dating apps together, and sexual minoirty men who used one app-type exclusively reported significantly increased anxiety symptomology than all other app-type groups. This study is the first to compare users of different app-types and illustrates the connection between dating app use and sexual orientation in men’s mental health and wellbeing.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Psychology and Sexuality, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology