Journal 2018 (Publication 2)
International Peer-Reviewed Journal
RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
A STUDY OF OPTIMISM AMONG DATING
APP USERS IN INDIA
Dr. Cicilia Chettiar*
ABSTRACT
The current study is an attempt to understand the usage of the dating apps like Tinder in India. It
also takes into account the role of optimism in the usage of Tinder. A sample of 85 participants
were surveyed to understand why they use Tinder and their comfort level with it. Optimism was
also surveyed to understand if Tinder users in India are more optimistic about the outcome of
their use of Tinder. Six different hypotheses were framed to (a) analyze optimism differences
between Tinder users of both generations using a t-test (b) differences in optimism levels of
those who had specific behavior’s and beliefs regarding Tinder usage using ANOVA. All the
hypotheses returned a non-significant result. This indicates optimism has no role to play in the
usage of Tinder and also that there is no significant difference in the optimism levels between
both genders.
Keywords : Tinder, dating apps, optimism, culture, relationships.
Introduction
In India, the normal growth path for any individual would be to finish education, find gainful employment,
find a partner and then “settle down” into the routine of marriage and parenthood. With the availability
of internet facilities, and the accessibility of international technology and media, Indians have more
information about the habits and practices of the Western world. Many services which hitherto would
have been considered sacrilege are now part of modern Indian living. One such change is the
introduction of online dating.
The market for online dating has seen a remarkable growth in India (Joshi & Kumar, 2012). Although
the country reinforces the role of traditional ways to form relationships, urban centers are open to
newer ways of being part of a relationship. Tinder fulfils one such need. India has never opened up to
dating as a concept, leave alone accepting a dating app. It would therefore be interesting to understand
whether the users of Tinder in India are as open minded in their approach as is perceived or do they
have some kind of hang-ups which reflect their cultural heritage.
Tinder has a reputation of having facilitated the “hook-up” culture by being a Location Based Real
Time Dating (LBRTD) app even in the west. The availability of a possible partner in real time, that is
geographically convenient and based on certain algorithms that help us to find the best match has
made the entire process of romance very practical. Users swipe through a number of possible matches
provided by Tinder. If two users right swipe each other, it is referred to as “a match.” The information
provided by Tinder is usually sourced from the users Facebook account.
Finding partners online is not new to India. For a country that has elaborate procedures to put
together a wedding, it would be interesting to know how people respond to Tinder which offers only
the possibility of matching people for short-term goals. There are many instances where people have
met online and ended up getting married to each other. But then again, the understanding of the
same process in India is limited. This study aims to understand the Indian users experience of Tinder.
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
The study also approaches the concept of online dating with the help another psychological variable
namely optimism. Optimism is not a variable that has been frequently studied with relation to Tinder
use. Optimism refers to the tendency to expect positive outcomes. As such, hope is the primary
component. Optimism is global and usually stable across time. It has been positively correlated to
healthier and adaptive states of mind and negatively correlated to unhealthy states of mind.
Charles Carver and Michael Scheier (2002) have been closely associated with optimism research.
They have proposed a model between optimism and positive outcomes that can be explained by
expectancy-value model. They assume that goals drive behavior due to the value placed on the goal
and the expectancy of success in attaining the goal. The component of hope leads optimists to be
more hopeful of positive outcomes and they expect that their hopes will be met.
Based on this belief system, individuals indulge in behavior’s that reflect their optimism about attaining
goals. In relationships too, individuals engage in behavior’s that will keep the relationship strong and
secure. So optimistic individuals are more likely to interpret opportunities as favorable for the
relationship irrespective of whether it is available through technology or human intervention. Tinder is
one such opportunity for building relationships. The relationship goal could be either fleeting and
superficial, or deep and long-lasting. Irrespective of the nature of the goal, individuals will only resort
to Tinder if it offers them some hope for goal achievement.
When it comes to close relationships with members of the opposite sex, there are various paths that
such relationships may take. Some maybe for casual sex, some looking into the possibility of marriage.
Between these two extremes are many other reasons why people hook onto Tinder. Yet in spite of the
number of Tinder users, not many will be willing to tell others about their presence on Tinder. In India
it still comes with a fair amount of stigma when some individual needs to get on to Tinder to find a
partner.
According to Tinder’s India head, Taru Kapoor, there has been a 400% increase in Tinder downloads
in the past year and women are more active users than men. Websites that rate such apps have
rated Tinder as the best online dating app in India. With so much popularity for the app, does this
mean the average urban Indian has come of age with relation to dating? Perhaps we are stepping
into an age where being involved in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender is no longer
something that needs to be feared or shied away from.
These and other thoughts let the researcher to conduct an exploratory study about Tinder users in
India. The amount of research related to online dating in India is meager and not all are specific to
Indian sentiment. Besides, researchers have not considered the role of optimism in individuals who
use online dating platforms to further their relationship goals. Loneliness, self-esteem, impression
management and other such psychological variables have shown that Tinder users do suffer from
loneliness and low self-esteem. It has also been found that any kind of social media presence is
guided by a number of impression management techniques.
The current research therefore looks at the optimism levels of the Tinder users and then compares it
to a wide range of factors that impact and reflect the Tinder user’s mindset. Tinder has been selected
as the app of choice due the fact that it is biggest player in the dating apps industry in India, so much
so that the term Tinder and dating app are now synonymous.
Methodology
The study will test the following hypothesis
1.
There will be no significant difference in the optimism scores between men and women.
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
2.
There will be a significant difference in the optimism levels of people based on the reasons for
their downloading Tinder.
3.
There will be a significant difference in the optimism levels of people who trust Tinder security
and those who do not.
4.
There will be a significant difference in the optimism levels of people who are willing to share
with their parents and those who are not about their presence on Tinder.
5.
There will be a significant difference in the optimism levels of people who focus on looks and
those who focus on interest.
6.
There will be a significant difference in the optimism levels of people who believe that Tinder is
suitable for India and those who do not.
Design
The study follows a survey design using a snowball sampling method. The survey form was
generated using Google docs and was shared as a link. It was posted online and social media
was used to recruit Tinder users for the survey.
Sample
There were 85 respondents, 48 females and 37 males. Sixty-three participants were in the 18-
2
4 years age category. This was the largest category.
Tools
The Youth Life Orientation Test (Sy, 2005) was used to assess the optimism levels of the
participants.
A set of questions based on the participant’s opinion about Tinder usage will be asked. They
include the following
1.
Why do you use Tinder – for casual sex, peer pressure, to find a life partner, to get over a
heartbreak, to make friends or to meet someone special. (MCQ)
2.
Do you think Tinder is a safe way to meet people – Yes, No, Maybe
3.
Which of the following people would be told that you use Tinder – Colleagues, friends, parents,
siblings, spouse?
4.
What is the first thing you look for in a Tinder profile – Education, interests, location, looks,
profession
5.
Do you think Tinder is suitable for India – Yes, No, Maybe.
Statistics
Questions based on Tinder use will be evaluated based on the count of responses. They will help in
understanding the role of Tinder use in the minds of the Indian Tinder user. The t-test will be done to
understand if there is any difference in the optimism levels of participants based on their use of
Tinder.
Results
The frequency tables given below give us a count of the various categories of responses provided
by the participant.
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
Table 1 depicts Reason for using Tinder
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
Table 8 shows difference in optimum scores for various aspects of Tinder usage
Table 8 ANOVA table indicating difference in optimism scores for various aspects of
Tinder usage
Hypothesis 1(table 7) is proved as the t-value indicates that there is no statistically significant difference
between men and women in this sample on their optimism scores. Since there is not much difference
in the optimism levels of males and females participating in this study, it can be assumed that the
differences in the responses are more due to optimism levels per se and not due to gender variations.
Hypothesis 2 is not proved. There is no statistically significant difference in the optimism scores of
those who are on Tinder to meet someone special and those who are on Tinder to make friends.
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
Hypothesis 3 is also not proved as there is no statistically significant difference between those who
rated their safety beliefs about Tinder as positive, negative or uncertain. Hypothesis 4 is also not
proved as there is no statistically significant difference in the optimism scores of those who shared
information about their Tinder presence with their friends and those who shared it with their parents.
However, in this case the sample sizes are so starkly unequal (76,9) that it would be inaccurate to
arrive at any major conclusion based on this statistic.
Hypothesis 5 is not proved as there is no statistically significant difference in the optimism scores of
those who first consider looks and those who consider interests.
Hypothesis 6 is not proved as there is no statistically significant difference between those who think
Tinder is suitable for India and those who think it is unsuitable.
Discussion
Those who feel Tinder is a safe place to meet people are open to casual sex and to meeting someone
special. Those who are not sure about the safety of Tinder claim to be only interested in making
friends. This result is possibly more due to social desirability. Online dating as a concept is not
openly accepted in India and to admit that one is trying to go online to find a partner is opening
oneself to judgment by others. This could be one of the reasons why so many people stated that the
reason for joining Tinder was to make friends. Although the purpose of Tinder is clearly dating, it is
after all a dating application, people denying their dating intentions on Tinder seem to be succumbing
to a social requirement rather than a personal one.
Optimism as a variable in the study of online dating is an uncommon one. In the age of online dating,
it becomes very easy to forget that there is a person behind the screen. Swiping right, is indicative of
interest. But the willingness to swipe right indicates a willingness to take the first step forward. The
fact that there is no difference in the optimism levels of men and women indicates that both are
equally hopeful about the possibility of an interesting encounter. This hope or optimism is what
sustains the industry because although the perspective towards marriage and relationships has
changed, the need for it hasn’t been completely erased. Dating apps serve the same purpose that
elders in the families served, trying to match pairs based on various parameters. The fact that both
men and women are equally wary about the safety and suitability aspect of Tinder, shows that both
sexes are aware and cautious in their assessment of the app. The fact that optimism scores vary
between those who consider it suitable and those who are uncertain about its suitability could possibly
be a reflection of the cultural scenario. In a country like India, where arranged marriages are still
considered the ultimate mark of respect to one’s parents, expressing complete acceptance towards
a dating app maybe a little too hard for the participants themselves. Hence even though they refuse
to concretely comment on it as suitable, they are also unwilling to complete reject the app as unsuitable.
The fact that they would be more willing to share their Tinder habits with their friends rather that with
their families reflects this cultural dilemma. Marriage portals on the other hand have usually been
accepted with greater openness. The large number of “maybe” replies to the safety and suitability
question indicates both a reluctance to complete disregard the app or to completely accept it. Many
studies opt for a forced choice procedure because researchers want concrete and certain replies.
But in this study, it was felt that allowing the respondent to be unsure can provide as much insight as
it is to force their hand.
Conclusion
Tinder users in India are equally open to a relationship as well as to something more fleeting when it
comes to dating apps. Although they may be uncertain about its safety and suitability, they are
willing to risk using it in order to find a partner who can fulfill their requirements. Men and women are
equally likely to choose a partner based on their profile information like the profile picture and their
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RESEARCH HORIZONS, S.R. NO. 2, VOL. 8 NOVEMBER 2018
interests. It appears that Tinder and other such dating apps are here to stay and has been accepted
by the youth across genders.
Limitations
This study is bound by the limitations of sampling and social desirability. Also, since many of the
questions had the option of selecting a neutral answer, the participants may have selected a safer
option rather than expressed their true feelings.
References
Carver, C. S., &Scheier, M. F. (2002). Optimism. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez(Eds.), Handbook
of Positive Psychology(pp. 231-243). New York: Oxford University Press.
Ey, S. et al. (2005) A new measure of children’s optimism and pessimism: The Youth Life
Orientation Test Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46 (5), 548-558.
Joshi, K., & Kumar, S. (2012). Matchmaking using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, compatibility
measure and stable matching for online matrimony in India. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision
Analysis, 19(1-2), 57-66.
http://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/Dating-app-Tinders-downloads-in-India-up-400-women-
more-active/articleshow/49935753.cms
*
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology. ManibenNanavati Women’s College, Mumbai
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