• Is Match A Good Dating App For Men
• Better Dating Apps

Match has earned the trust of millions of single Christians, including more than a few Christians, because it has been around longer than any other dating site or app. Since April 1995, Match has fulfilled the dating hopes and dreams of singles from all backgrounds, and it continues to set high standards in the dating ind. In my experiences, I have been told a lot because I too, suffer from the same problem! I’m 36, never married, work out frequently, have a great career, own my own home! What could possibly make me so unattractive to single women? I wish I knew, be. It's not the cheapest dating app, especially if you want to take advantage of its full feature set, but if you're looking for a life partner, Match is the best and an Editors' Choice winner. Like Match.com, Match’s dating app is free to download, but you’ll need a paid subscription to exchange messages. But when you’re looking for “The One,” paying for online dating is a smart move, as you’ll be checking out profiles of singles who are as serious about meeting someone as you are.

Full disclosure: I'm a firm supporter of dating apps. Yes, theycan be overwhelming, and I encountered plenty of incompatible matches before I met my now-husband on Tinder, but I totally get that dating apps aren't for everyone. Many of my friends have given apps like Tinder and Bumble a try before deciding they weren't well-suited to the swipe life, and that's OK. If you don't like dating apps, you're certainly not alone, and there's probably a good reason why online dating just isn't for you.

'For better and for worse, dating apps have become the new normal for dating,' licensed therapist Nicole Richardson previously explained to Elite Daily. 'People no longer have to be vulnerable in person and approach strangers because they can use their phone to buffer a lot of the anxiety required to meet someone new.' And while that may be a benefit for some, others may find that buffer way too impersonal or even detrimental to their self-esteem. As harmless as it seems to spend an hour swiping through matches before bed, dating apps may be taking more of a toll on your mental health or happiness than you realize. Here are a few signs that dating apps might not be for you.

Even if you tend to idly swipe through matches while you're watching TV or laying in bed, dating apps can be majorly time-consuming, especially if you're actually starting and maintaining conversations with those matches. Life is already busy enough without having to juggle 10 different conversations at once. When swiping starts to feel more like an obligation than something exciting, you're probably better off meeting people IRL than online.

As online dating expert Julie Spira previously explained to Elite Daily, 'Committing to a chunk of time with someone you’ve never met can be daunting.' And when you're committing time to several people you've never met, you might feel like you're wasting your time rather than using it effectively.

Pricilla Martinez, CEO of Regroop Online Life Coaching, agreed with Spira when she told Elite Daily, '...[Online] dating is an investment of time and energy into someone else. If you’re not seeing a return on that investment, move on.' Spending time on dating apps is an investment, and if you feel like yours isn't paying off, then it may be time to quit the apps.

Having matches flake out on you is frustrating, but what's even worse is the effect that rejection can have on your self-confidence. Sure, rejection is something you're just as likely to encounter in person as you are on dating apps. But being swiped left or having your message go unanswered can hurt much worse than someone just admitting they're not into you.

Is Match A Good Dating App For Men

A study conducted in 2016 by the University of North Texas found that Tinder users seemed to have lower self-esteem and a more negative body image than people who didn't use the app. In a statement, one of the study's authors, Jessica Strübel, explained, 'We found that being actively involved with Tinder, regardless of the user’s gender, was associated with body dissatisfaction, body shame, body monitoring, internalization of societal expectations of beauty, comparing oneself physically to others, and reliance on media for information on appearance and attractiveness.'

Better Dating Apps

Dating apps are not only a numbers game — they can oftentimes feel like a beauty contest, as well. You might even find yourself criticizing other users more harshly than you would in person, as well as looking at yourself with a more critical eye. A good dating experience should raise your self-esteem, not lower it, and it's possible that using Tinder and other apps is hurting you more than it's helping.