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Dating apps can be either really convenient or really frustrating. You match with people who never follow-up for dates or you go on dates with people who don’t quite meet your expectations (ahem, catfish).

But, it turns out, certain apps can have a bigger effect on you than a terrible meet-up.

A new study by the American Psychological Association asked 1,300 college students how they felt about themselves. Some questions, such as, how satisfied are you with your thighs or how likely are you to make physical comparisons to others, gave researchers an idea of the subjects’ sense of self.

At the end of the survey, they asked if the students use the dating app Tinder.

The subjects’ self-esteem who aren’t using the dating app ranked much higher. According to the survey, Tinder users have low self-worth and expressed that they are more ashamed of their physical appearance. Men reportedly have lower self-esteem than women, which is surprising because women are often seen as being more critical of their looks.

“The men, in essence, are put in a position that women often find themselves in, certainly in the dating scene: They’re now being evaluated and are being determined whether or not somebody is interested in them [based on their looks],” says Dr. Trent Petrie, co-author of the paper and professor in the psychology department at the University of North Texas.

Although there is a correlation between self-esteem and Tinder, causation has yet to be determined. Research hasn’t proved if using Tinder actually makes you feel worse about yourself.

But those superficial swipes to the left might not help.

SOURCE: TIME | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

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Study Shows Tinder Users Are More Likely Than Non Users To See Themselves As Sex Objects  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com