Love in the Age of Algorithms: What Dating Apps Reveal About How We Choose Brands

The inspiration for this article came unexpectedly.

I was watching a short video on YouTube titled “How couples met (1930–2024)”. In just over a minute, it visualized the evolution of love: from people introduced by friends and family, to those who married their high school sweethearts… all the way to the digital era, where the vast majority now meet through apps and algorithms.

It struck me just how radically technology has disrupted our lives. Not only in how we shop, learn, or travel, but even in how we fall in love.

And so a thought was born:
If the way we swipe reflects how we think about relationships, could it also reveal how we engage with brands?

At Human Centric Group, we decided to test that hypothesis with a fun piece of experimental research.

We launched a survey asking dating app users about their swiping habits, shopping preferences, and how they make decisions in both love and consumption. Initially, we shared it with our network on social media. But responses were slow, and as any decent marketer will tell you: if the channel isn’t working, pivot.

So I did the unthinkable. I created a profile on a dating app myself, not for romance, but for research. My bio clearly stated: “Here purely for research reasons. Happily married, with kids.” Every match received a survey link (plus a thank-you emoji), which led to a flood of responses (and a few warning messages from app moderators, understandably confused about my true intentions).

Who Uses Dating Apps? Research Methodology and Insights

Who Took Part in the Study?

To better understand who uses dating apps, we collected 199 anonymous responses from users across various European countries, with the majority coming from Poland and Italy, reflecting the geographic influence of our team’s own networks. As part of the survey, we explored who uses dating apps and why. The top motivations were quite revealing:

• 36% said they’re looking for something serious
• 27% just want to meet new people
• 21% use apps for fun and excitement
• 12% admitted it’s mostly for validation
• 4% selected “I don’t even know”

It turns out that swiping is rarely just swiping—it reflects something deeper.

Swiping Isn’t Random. Neither Is Shopping.

The first step was to analyze how confident people are in their dating decisions, particularly their willingness to swipe right on someone they consider “out of their league.” This “confidence index” quickly became one of the strongest predictors of consumer boldness.

Those who swipe with High Confidence (saying “no one is out of my league” or “I aim high”) were:

• 33% more likely to experiment with new brands
• 25% less likely to be loyalists sticking with the same brands

In contrast, those with Low Confidence in swiping were:

• 27% more likely to be brand loyalists
• Much less likely to try new brands, especially in crowded or trendy categories

👉  Takeaway: Your confidence in dating predicts how boldly you shop. Swipe like a risk-taker? You probably try new products too.

Decision Styles Matter—In Love and in Loyalty

Another major finding emerged when we looked at decision-making styles. Do you trust your gut, overthink everything, or adapt depending on the situation?

Those who describe themselves as Analytical decision-makers (who “weigh all options”) were:

• 82% more likely to be brand loyalists
• Only 3% representation in the experimenter segment

Instead, those who decide Fast, by instinct, showed:

• 130% over-indexing in the “Balanced Explorer” segment
• But surprisingly, low loyalty and low experimentation
  (Apparently, speed doesn’t always equal boldness)

Those who decide Situationally (depending on the moment) were:

• 88% more likely to be experimenters
• 38% less likely to be loyalists

👉  Takeaway: Brand loyalty isn’t just emotional, it’s cognitive. Those who plan ahead in dating also plan ahead in shopping.

The Discovery Dilemma: How You Swipe Affects What You Buy

We also explored how people discover new brands—and how this connects to their dating behaviors.

Those who overthink their swipes (swipe, then overanalyze) had the highest usage of:

• Instagram & TikTok ads (100% exposure)
• Friends/influencers’ advice (67%)
• Google reviews (33%)

Those who swipe fast and intuitively lean on a more balanced mix:

• 50% influencers
• 33% social media
• 33% physical store browsing

People who said they analyze every profile carefully also:

• Over-indexed on store browsing (Index: 143 vs. average)

👉  Takeaway: The more deliberate your dating style, the more touchpoints you need before trusting a brand.

Your Personality = Your Purchase Path

We asked respondents to self-identify from five dating personalities: The Romantic, The Strategist, The Spontaneous, The Trendsetter, and The Chiller.

Two clear outliers emerged:

• Strategists were the most brand loyal (Index: 120+), and heavily influenced by quality and reviews
• Spontaneous types over-indexed on experimentation and trend-driven purchases

Meanwhile, Chillers (the go-with-the-flow types) showed no extreme behavior, but hovered near average on all counts. Essentially, they’re the Switzerland of consumer types.

👉  Takeaway: The way you describe your dating self maps surprisingly well to how you behave in the market.

Who Uses Dating Apps? Unexpected Contradictions (That Marketers Should Know)

We found a few fascinating inconsistencies worth highlighting:

1. Fast Decision-Makers weren’t bold shoppers
   While they swipe quickly, they do not over-index on experimentation. Their shopping is reactive but safe—likely trusting brands that “just feel right.”
2. High Confidence Daters sometimes avoid trendy brands
   Some confident swipers still preferred classic, time-tested products. Their confidence was more self-driven than trend-driven.
3. Some “Strategists” are Tinder addicts
   Despite claiming a rational approach, several respondents classified as “Strategists” admitted they often swipe just for fun. Even the most calculated minds have their guilty pleasures.

👉  Takeaway: People don’t always behave consistently, but their contradictions are predictable if you know where to look.

Who Uses Dating Apps: What This Means for Marketers

In a world where attention is a currency and choice fatigue is real, understanding who uses dating apps can unlock deeper insights into modern consumer behavior.

• The same personality traits that guide dating decisions shape how people discover, evaluate, and stay loyal to brands.
• Brand campaigns can learn from dating apps: first impressions matter, swiping behavior reveals confidence and values, and decisions are rarely as “irrational” as they seem.
• Psychographic targeting is essential: stop selling to “young adults” or “Millennial women.” Start targeting “confident impulsives,” “rational loyalists,” or “situational explorers.”

At Human Centric Group, we’ve long believed that consumers aren’t just category users. They’re humans—with habits, emotions, and contradictions that matter.

And sometimes, the best way to understand them… is through their dating life.

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If you’d like to explore the dataset or co-create follow-up research with us, feel free to reach out.

Let’s keep swiping through the noise—and matching with deeper insights.

Who Uses Dating Apps – About the author

Luca Bertocci is a co-founder and co-owner of Human Centric Group, where he partners with boards, founders, and C-level executives to transform brands into strategic business assets. He leads the agency’s analytical department, applying a data-driven approach to unlock sustainable, long-term value for global clients such as Carlsberg, PepsiCo, Danone, Mitsubishi Electric, and Carrefour, across more than 30 countries.

Before Human Centric Group, Luca was an equity partner at Garrison Group and held key roles at Pirelli Tyres and Desk Promos (special agency of the Italian Chamber of Commerce) during Expo Shanghai 2010.

Beyond consulting, Luca is a lecturer at Krakow School of Business (International MBA), and AGH Business School (EMBA and Tech MBA). He also serves as a mentor for Bocconi University and for several startups in Poland, combining entrepreneurial spirit with academic rigor.

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