A new study suggests that cognitive appraisal plays a role in the experience of heightened social anxiety among online daters. The findings were published in Computers in Human Behavior.
It is commonly believed that online dating is reserved for timid, anxious individuals who are intimidated by face-to-face dating. However, research suggests that people who choose to pursue online dating are no more socially anxious than typical daters, and may actually be more sociable. Moreover, although online dating may ease social anxiety, it appears that it does not eliminate it.
Researchers Shani Pitcho-Prelorentzos and team set out to explore whether cognitive biases might explain social anxiety in the context of online dating. Given the ambiguity of virtual dating, they suggest that daters rely on their assumptions about the world when interpreting the dating scene. Specifically, the researchers focus on Janoff-Bulman’s (1992) three core beliefs that dictate how a person navigates the world.
Researchers recruited 494 Israeli adults who were either currently using online dating platforms or had used them in the past. The participants completed a survey that assessed the three beliefs outlined by Janoff-Bulman’s Shattered Assumptions theory (1992). Beliefs about the world were assessed with statements like “I feel the world is a dangerous place to live in.” Self-efficacy was measured with statements like “I’m capable of dealing with most problems that come up in life.” Finally, recognition concern was measured by assessing participants’ concern that their online dating profile would be discovered by family and friends.
Participants also completed two assessments of social anxiety — self-evaluation anxiety and interaction anxiety.
As the researchers expected, subjects’ cognitive appraisals were linked to their social anxiety scores. Specifically, negative beliefs about the world, low self-appraisal, and heightened concern about being recognized were significant predictors of elevated self-evaluation and interaction anxiety.
The researchers explain why personal assumptions are likely to come into play during virtual dating. “Although online dating platforms may provide an initial social shield in the form of relative anonymity, it positions the potential date as anonymous as well. Thus, the online dater may project onto the potential date (and the situation) his or her own core negative perceptions and beliefs, which are difficult to refute in the absence of face-to-face interactions (Postmes, Spears, & Lea, 2002).”
People with low self-efficacy, the authors suggest, tend to feel incompetent and unable to control their lives. They, therefore, may feel heightened social anxiety when confronting the uncertainty of online dating. Similarly, those with negative beliefs about the world may conclude that danger exists even in the virtual world of dating, leading to increased anxiety.
When it comes to concern with recognition, the authors suggest that those who hold beliefs that others are overly judgmental and malicious may be afraid to have their online dating profiles exposed to their friends for fear of being ridiculed. Indeed, socially anxious individuals tend to fear being criticized by others and may be overly sensitive to the stigma surrounding online dating.
Overall, the findings offer insight into how cognitive appraisals may influence anxiety in the online dating world. The researchers suggest that their findings might “assist health care professionals who treat individuals in their stressful quest to find a partner, to direct the therapeutic sessions toward rebuilding shattered assumptions and elevating a sense of self-efficacy.”
The study, “Predictors of social anxiety among online dating users”, was authored by Shani Pitcho-Prelorentzos, Christian Heckel, and Lia Ring.