Would You Date Him? The Role of Persuasion on Dating Applications

Abstract

The rapid advancement and increasing use of mobile technology in recent years has seen the successful development of dating applications such as Tinder. By using these apps, users engage in the practice of persuasion by manipulating their profiles to present the best version of themselves with the objective of persuading other users to connect with them. While swiping through the hundreds of profiles, users also unknowingly become susceptible to the same persuasion tactics they have used themselves. The purpose of this study was to investigate how people react and respond to Cialdini’s (2009) persuasion principles on the dating app Tinder. As previous research indicates individual differences can influence persuasion effectiveness, as well as how individuals use Tinder, the potential moderation of individual differences on responses was also investigated. Specifically, anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem and general trust were of focus. The study adopted a between-measures design where female participants (N = 138) were randomly assigned to one of three survey conditions displaying a Tinder profile. Each condition gradually increased in persuasiveness by manipulating the persuasion principles likability, reciprocation and social proof. Results suggested no significant differences in responses of participants between the conditions, indicating the persuasion principles had no influence on responses. Additionally, limited support was found in regards to influence of individual differences on participant responses. The inability to produce minimal significant findings can be attributed to the limitations of the study.