Phones and apps push daters toward professional networks, study finds

A discussion on Romania’s r/DatingRO subreddit notes that people now stare at their phones rather than each other, reducing opportunities for real‑life flirting. Participants blame smartphones, dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble, and a fear of being judged, while psychologist Olga Ghițac explains that technology amplifies a natural human tendency to choose low‑effort, low‑risk interactions.

A separate survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Zety found that 22 % have sent or received romantic messages on LinkedIn, and 12 % say a relationship began on the professional platform. Respondents cite verified professional profiles as more trustworthy than the heavily curated images and bios on typical dating apps, describing the shift as “dating fatigue.” Both pieces illustrate a broader move away from traditional face‑to‑face courtship toward digital, low‑risk environments.

Key quotations include a Reddit user’s observation, “Before people looked at each other, now they only look at their phone,” and Ghițac’s comment that the brain “prefers the variant that consumes less energy and exposes us less.”