Anthropologists, psychologists and statisticians will debate “Love in the Time of Tinder” this weekend at an event in Hay-on-Wye, a cultural mecca in Wales. Since the swipe-right-to-like app’s launch in 2012, scientists have been looking into its role in a pervasive culture of hook-ups and physiognomy. Tinder encourages judgment based on looks, and because of “the halo effect”, an unconscious psychological bias, people often unfairly deem good-looking people to be good people. Male users suffer from low self-esteem, according to the American Psychological Association, and all users appear to have a more negative perception of their own attractiveness than non-users do. Deception is also rife: on Tantan, China’s Tinder equivalent, men exaggerate their salaries and women post profile pictures with enlarged eyes. Tinder has made no fewer than 10bn matches, but the “paradox of choice” means increased possibilities raise expectations and reduce satisfaction. When it comes to finding love, more can be less.
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