Strategic Interference and Tinder Use: A Mixed-Method Exploration of Romantic Interactions in Contemporary Contexts

Abstract

Research has suggested that men and women have different orientations towards mating strategies (Buss & Schmitt, 1993), with men more likely than women to orient towards short-term mating strategies (Hyde, 2005). This dissimilarity may cause men and women to have different goals in romantic situations. Strategic interference refers to the conflict that arises when two sexes encounter these different goals within romantic or sexual contexts (Buss, 1989). Men and women often solve strategic interference through sex-linked forms of deception, with the goal to increase reproductive fitness (Buss, 1989). This means that men and women sometimes deceive potential partners about their sexual goals in ways that they believe will appeal to the sex to which their romantic partner belongs. The following three studies explored whether these gender differences and encounters with strategic interference are still prevalent in the age of new dating technologies. Study one investigated whether users of the online dating app Tinder are more likely to encounter deception around sex-linked forms of strategic interference than are online dating website users or those who date offline, and it also examined whether these experiences vary between men and women. Study one also analyzed whether gender, sexual double standards, and strategic interference predicted romantic and sexual satisfaction with a specifically recalled romantic interaction. Study two explored how Tinder use primes gender-typical mate preferences and mating orientation. Finally, study three analyzed Internet forum posts on a Tinder-themed website to develop a qualitative picture of the real-world experiences of Tinder users. These studies revealed whether men and women truly undergo different experiences on the dating market and whether these experiences are influenced by the type of dating platform that an individual chooses.