Signs you are addicted to online dating

 Online dating.

There are many stories out there of couples who met through online dating apps and later walked down the aisle. Inspired by such stories, many people have downloaded dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble among others to increase their chances of finding 'the one'. However, you could be spending so much time on the phone that it's affecting your other relationships negatively. Here are signs that you are addicted to online dating.

You are always on your phone – Every free minute at the office, during lunch hour, or while in transit, you keep swiping left and right looking for the perfect partner. Your self-esteem quickly gets affected – When you fail to connect with someone you matched, you become depressed and start doubting your self-worth. Remember that not all conversations lead to a serious relationship. You quickly get attached – Before Bumble, you had standards about whom to date and knew all the qualities you wanted in a partner. Now, every match feels like 'the one' because you share a few interests. However, after three days of chatting, they've moved on to someone else.  You are chatting with more than four prospects at the same time. On a day when you have about two people messaging you, it feels like a slow day. 

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You avoid meeting in person – Despite chatting with a potential prospect, you always make excuses to avoid meeting them and instead, ask if you can continue talking on the app. You book several dates in one evening – Finding 'the one' is no longer your priority, but the numbers and winning is your goal.  All your prospects have nicknames – Since you can't remember all of them, you've decided to number your prospects and give them different names. You keep bumping into the same people – You spend too much time looking for someone and exhausted the list that they keep reappearing on your timeline.

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You keep deleting and downloading the dating apps – After talking to a few people online, you get bored, delete the app and talk about how you hate dating apps. The next day you download another app, and the cycle continues.  You don't know what you're looking for – While most people turn to online dating apps to look for real relationships, casual dates, or random hookups, but you can't define the purpose you have these apps unless you consider them a hobby, which is still a problem.