Using more than one type of app, including both mainstream sites such as Tinder or Hinge and gay sites like Grindr, could lead to lower levels of anxiety among gay men who use mobile dating platforms.
The Flinders University study, published in Psychology & Sexuality, is one of the first efforts to compare users of different dating app types and sexual orientation with mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
Researchers say the finding may reflect the greater likelihood of achieving desired outcomes when using a broader range of dating apps.
“There are several fundamental differences between gay and mainstream dating apps that may significantly impact user experience, including the interface, image-sharing, and potential for non-consensual messaging,” says lead author Zac Bowman, a PhD candidate at Flinders University’s College of Human Sciences and Culture.
The study, based on a survey of 578 Australian men ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (average age 34 years), indicated that sexual orientation and engaging with mainstream or gay-only dating apps had varying relationships with mental health, when controlling for age differences in the study group.
Bowman says there is clear divide between platforms. Apps such as Grindr and Scruff are widely perceived as spaces for casual sex where appearance dominates, while Tinder and Hinge are more often associated with dating and relationships.
“Our latest findings show that dating apps designed specifically for men to meet other men operate differently to swipe-based mainstream apps, exposing users to unsolicited and occasionally unpleasant messages,” says Mr Bowman, who also has assessed the effects of online dating platforms on users’ body image and disordered eating.
Gay, bisexual and other sexual minorities are among the most active and potentially vulnerable users of dating apps used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.
The latest study found that sexual minority men who used one app type exclusively – along with heterosexual men who used both gay and mainstream dating apps – reported significantly increased anxiety compared to all other app-type groups.
Confirmation of a connection between dating app use and sexual orientation in men’s mental health and wellbeing can lead to app developers reducing the emphasis on physical appearance and sexual objectification and introducing some safeguards,” researchers say.
With tens of millions of people using dating apps globally, including around 15 million on Grindr alone, researchers also say users themselves have a role to play in shifting culture on these platforms.
The paper – ‘Designed to be deleted: differential impacts of dating apps on men’s body image, mental health, and wellbeing’ (2026) by Zac Bowman, Murray Drummond, Ivanka Prichard and Jasmine M Petersen – has been published in Psychology & Sexuality.
