The Dry Run

So you have swiped right at least 400 times, seen over 3000 candidates and the previously ‘infinite-looking-well’ now appears to have a very real bottom. If your tinder experience can aptly being described as walking through a desert looking for a high five surrounded by women with no arms, then you have no doubt succumbed to the unpleasant psychological pressure of desperation. Coping with the paralysing insecurity and self-doubt has knock on effects on your standards, and in an alarming antithesis to that first innings, you are actually going back to talk to matches from months ago in an attempt to rekindle a flame that perhaps hasn’t fully extinguished (If only you could find some tinder wood). There are two notable changes in psychology here. Firstly, you begin to gamble. Whereas before you were a regular Sherlock Holmes in detecting which girl the profile belonged to when confronted with a multi-party photo. Now, not only do you swipe right as long as someone, anyone, in the photo is semi-attractive, you might even accept them if, in your minds eye, you can create an average of all their faces, the product being better than any of them taken individually. If each has a redeeming feature which could combine to create a single acceptable candidate — this one has a slim face, this one has clean looking hair, this one doesn’t have acne, then you are happy to go for it. Secondly, in the frantic search for approval, you begin to speed up. You’re swiping quicker than you have ever swiped, and whilst it makes it easier to forgive yourself for any questionable matches, you must realise that you have sacrificed your dignity for trying to get that ‘small-win’ to get yourself back on track. You are akin to an addict chasing that first high. What an app…