Socialization & Relationship Outcomes
Romeo swipes Juliet left!? Problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption are associated with a weaker sense of existential meaning in romantic love.
Open Access: Yes.
Abstract
Background
Although prior studies have examined the psycho-socio-sexual outcomes associated with problematic engagement with online dating apps and pornography, these behaviors remain largely unexplored from an existential perspective. Romantic love can also be viewed through an existential lens (e.g., contributing to one’s sense of essence). This study investigated the relatively understudied relationships between problematic online dating app use, problematic pornography consumption, and existential perceptions of romantic love.
Methods
A total of 664 Iranian adults (Mage = 26.4, SDage = 7.6) who used dating apps and pornography websites were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was conducted to assess the relationships among the study variables.
Results
The results showed that, controlling for demographics, problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption were negatively associated with existential reflection on love and perceived meaningfulness of love. Both behaviors were positively associated with a pragmatic view of love and emotional promiscuity. A positive association was found between problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption. Additionally, mindful social media use, which has recently been suggested as a protective factor among social media users, demonstrated a strong negative association with both problematic behaviors.
Conclusion
Considering the potential for negative experiences associated with online dating app use (e.g., partner choice overload) and pornography consumption (e.g., sexual objectification), problematic engagement with these platforms may, to some extent, contribute to the commodification of romantic relationships and the fragmentation of existential perceptions toward romantic love. Mindful use of these platforms may therefore need to be considered by users.
Relevance
This study of Iranian adults showed associations of “higher levels of problematic pornography consumption and lower existential reflection on love [e.g., love is meaningless], a stronger belief in the pragmatic aspect of love [i.e., “guided by practicality and strategic considerations”], and greater emotional promiscuity.” These results mirror that “dominant themes in pornographic content.” Pornography use may “weaken the perception of love as meaningful, exclusive, and worthy of fidelity. Indeed, the expansion of sexual interests and desires through compulsive pornography exposure may, in some cases, create the impression that meaningful, committed relationships impose constraints on personal gratification.”
The study also showed “a positive association between problematic online dating app use [which had a similar relationship as porn to love] and problematic pornography consumption.” Additionally, “mindful social media use was negatively associated with both problematic online dating app use and problematic pornography consumption.”
Citation
Woo, S. (2026). The Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Social Withdrawal in Problematic Pornography Use and Sexual Objectification Perpetration Among Korean Men. Trends in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-026-00534-7
