Dating apps and pornography platforms may be changing more than how people meet, flirt, and pursue sexual relationships. A new international study suggests that addiction-like use of these technologies is associated with a weaker sense of meaning in romantic love, including reduced beliefs that love is valuable, enduring, and worth personal sacrifice. The findings, published online ahead of print in BMC Psychology, raise questions about how digital platforms influence intimate life when repeated, compulsive engagement begins to replace reflection, emotional closeness, and offline relationships.
The research was conducted by psychologists and behavioral scientists from Flinders University, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Kharazmi University, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The team surveyed 664 people who used dating applications and online pornography. Rather than examining ordinary, occasional use, the researchers focused on problematic patterns resembling behavioral addiction. These patterns can include difficulty controlling use, persistent urges, continued engagement despite negative consequences, and feelings of restlessness or boredom when access is interrupted.
Participants were also asked about their beliefs concerning romantic love and the existential value they assigned to it. In psychological research, existential meaning refers to the extent to which an experience is perceived as significant, valuable, and connected to a broader sense of purpose. In the context of romantic relationships, this may involve seeing love as meaningful in itself, believing it can endure beyond financial or physical benefits, and considering commitment and faithfulness worthwhile.
The analysis found that participants who reported more addiction-like use of dating apps and pornography were also more likely to hold skeptical or diminished views of romantic love. They were more likely to regard love as meaningless, to believe that relationships depend heavily on money, and to describe a tendency to move rapidly into and out of relationships. The researchers interpret these associations as evidence that problematic digital sexual and romantic behaviors may be linked to how people understand intimacy, although the survey cannot establish that platform use directly causes changes in those beliefs.
Dating applications may contribute to this process through what researchers describe as an environment of excessive choice and rapid evaluation. Users can move through large numbers of profiles in a short time, often making decisions based on limited visual and biographical information. This design can encourage comparison, instant judgment, and repeated searching for a supposedly better option. Conversations may remain brief or superficial, while the constant availability of new potential partners can make emotional investment feel less necessary or less rewarding.
Online pornography may affect perceptions of intimacy through a different mechanism. Pornographic material frequently emphasizes physical stimulation and immediate gratification, while offering little representation of the negotiation, vulnerability, trust, and communication that characterize many personal relationships. Repeated exposure does not affect every viewer in the same way, but when consumption becomes difficult to control, the researchers suggest it may encourage a view of relationships primarily as vehicles for sexual satisfaction rather than as sources of emotional connection and shared meaning.
The study also identified a potentially protective factor: mindful technology use. Participants who reported using digital platforms with greater awareness were less likely to display problematic patterns and reported fewer difficulties in their views of love. Mindfulness in this context does not mean simply reducing screen time. It involves noticing why a platform is being used, recognizing emotional triggers, and distinguishing digitally designed experiences from the complexity of offline life. A person may, for example, ask whether they are seeking genuine connection, escaping loneliness, managing stress, or pursuing stimulation.
Researchers emphasize that the findings should not be interpreted as proof that dating apps or pornography inevitably damage romantic beliefs. Most users do not necessarily develop addiction-like behavior, and digital platforms can provide opportunities for companionship, sexual expression, and long-term relationships. The central concern is the loss of control and the consequences that follow. Previous research has associated problematic use of dating applications and pornography with anxiety, depression, unhealthy eating patterns, and difficulties regulating sexual behavior, but the strength and direction of these relationships can vary between individuals.
The authors argue that awareness should become a central part of digital well-being. Platform users can benefit from monitoring how often they engage, what emotional state precedes use, and whether their behavior conflicts with personal goals or harms existing relationships. Technology companies and mental-health professionals may also need to design clearer safeguards and interventions for compulsive use. As dating, sexuality, and intimacy continue moving into digital spaces, the study suggests that the most important question is not whether technology belongs in romantic life, but whether it supports human connection or gradually reduces love to convenience, consumption, and instant gratification. The article, titled “Romeo swipes Juliet left!? Problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption are associated with a weaker sense of existential meaning in romantic love,” was written by Reza Shabahang, Zsolt Demetrovics, Mohammad Akbari, Gert Ouvrein, and Ágnes Zsila.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: “Romeo swipes Juliet left!? Problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption are associated with a weaker sense of existential meaning in romantic love”
News Publication Date: 21-Jul-2026
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05173-2; https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/reza.shabahang
References: Shabahang R, Demetrovics Z, Akbari M, Ouvrein G, Zsila Á. “Romeo swipes Juliet left!? Problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption are associated with a weaker sense of existential meaning in romantic love.” BMC Psychology. DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05173-2.
Image Credits: Flinders University
Keywords: dating apps, pornography, problematic internet use, behavioral addiction, romantic love, existential meaning, mindfulness, digital well-being, psychology, relationships
