Jack Turban is a physician and medical writer at Harvard Medical School, where he researches gender and sexuality. In a new article published by Vox, he says he’s become increasingly “worried by the rise of the underground digital bathhouse.”
“Apps like Grindr, with 3 million daily active users, and others like Scruff and Jack’d, are designed to help gay men solicit sex, often anonymously, online,” he writes. “I am all for sexual liberation, but I can’t stop wondering if these apps also have a negative effect on gay men’s mental health.”
So he did a little research.
Turban created a profile identifying himself as a medical writer looking to speak with guys about hookup culture. He spoke to about 50 different guys.
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“It’s a small sample size,” he admits, “but enough to give us some clues about how Grindr is affecting gay men. And it doesn’t look good.”
Related: Hilarious Instagram account offers inspirational messages to guys fed up with Grindr
Here’s what he learned…
Most guys said they liked the hookup app because it makes sex so accessible. With just the swipe of a finger, one can have access to hundreds, even thousands, of sexually available men.
The problem is, Turban says, that can get addicting.
Neuroscientists have shown that orgasm causes activation of pleasure areas of the brain like the ventral tegmental area while deactivating areas involved with self-control. And these patterns of activation in men are strikingly similar to what researchers see in the brain of individuals using heroin or cocaine. So when a neutral action (clicking on Grindr) is paired with a pleasurable response in the brain (orgasm), humans learn to do that action over and over again.
There’s also the issue of depression, and the fact that, according to numerous studies, gay people are much more likely to suffer from depression than straight people.
Turban writes:
For some users I talked to, the allure of Grindr was not just the rush to feel good. It was to stop feeling bad. Users told me they log on when they feel sad, anxious, or lonely. Grindr can make those feelings go away. The attention and potential for sex distract from painful emotions.
Finally, Turban points to that recent study of 200,000 iPhone users that found that 77 percent of Grindr users felt regret after using the app. In fact, Grindr came in at #1 for the app that leaves people feeling most unhappy.
Turban writes:
The users I interviewed told me that when they closed their phones and reflected on the shallow conversations and sexually explicit pictures they sent, they felt more depressed, more anxious, and even more isolated. Some experience overwhelming guilt following a sexual encounter in which no words are spoken. After the orgasm, the partner may walk out the door with little more than a “thanks.”
So what’s the takeaway from all this?
“As we continue to fight to bring gay relationships into the mainstream, we need to keep an eye on Grindr and how it both reflects and affects gay culture,” Turban concludes. “The bathhouse is still around. It’s now open 24/7, accessible from your living room.”
Related: New study confirms what we already knew: Grindr makes everyone miserable
h/t: Vox
MaxTaste
It would be interesting to know what these guys looked like. As someone who is not remotely attractive, when I have a Grindr meet-up, I always feel better afterwards because it occurs to me that someone was willing to have sex with me.
I can see how attractive guys might find the app unfulfilling, though. They have more options so a random hook-up might leave them with guilt or shame.
Mandrake
Valid and intriguing point!
bigblackhose
excellent and intriguing point MaxTaste. I too would be interested in knowing if the researcher considered this (attractiveness – or perceived attractiveness) in his study. additionally, I’d like to know the ‘ages’ of those with whom he (Mr. Turban, the researcher) spoke. grindr has been my “go to app” whenever I travel out of my home city. I’m 46 and would ‘prefer’ an environment that encouraged ‘conversation’ but am painfully aware that this is not the way the community engages anymore. with grindr, I’m able to screen/meet several guys (sometimes in a day/evening) and still get to the business meeting the next day w/o having spent the night out on the town.
Endy
I have to agree with this article, Many guys I *knew* were and still are experiencing some mental health. I quit and swore myself never, never, never return back to Grindr ever. I told the guys to delete Grindr and try other apps. I have apps that guys are “communicating.”
This article is pretty summarized up very well, “… Grindr came in at #1 for the app that leaves people feeling most unhappy.” I keep listening to many guys in bars and clubs how bad Grindr is, leaving people feeling unsatisfied. I listened to some guys who were mistreated. Some guys lied about their STD status (Not mentioning HIV status). Trust violated after consenting to have a sex, then in several weeks, they picked up some STDs.
I personally advise guys not to attempt Grindr app. Have you seen the news some guys pretended homos, ended up beating up by straights (talking about baits). Rapes and wallet-stealing are on the rise. Guys keep pointing to Grindr. I know and I am aware that Grindr is not responsible for one’s action, but Grindr is not enough protecting people from those predators who faked their profiles to hook up.
Now, let’s talk about Grindr releasing users who have HIV status to company for money. Recently, some crazy opposents faked their profiles, got a city councilman to hook, exchanged photos. Next day, photos were exposed to a city, talking about the revenge porns. Enough to damage, hurt, and violate a human being.
Alright, I am aware that no one gives a crap about my comments. Enough said. My personal advise to guys to stay away from Grindr and try other apps… Scruff is good, and other apps, they appear to be real with real men.
Ciaos!
ChrisK
Yes because Scruff doesn’t have many of the same guys you find on Grindr and online at the same time.
Donston
I suppose if you use these apps here and there for a lil random hook up and/or shallow sex talk then cool. But if you’re obsessed with them and are on them all the time it might reflect not having much of a social life, might reflect desperately needing 24/7 affirmation due to a sh*tty ego, might reflect viewing men as sexual objects only as opposed to someone to build a genuine romantic and emotional bond with and/or not seeking an authentic relationship due to feeling too vulnerable or insecure or anxiety ridden or being self-hating or hetero worshipping. of course, the result of all of these things is depression.
I do like that we’re getting to a place of comfortably discussion the mental health of lgbtq people where the emphasis is not about entirely blaming the “cis hetero world”.
ChrisK
Yep. Is it a symptom or a Cause. I think it correlates to how much time you spend on it. I know there’s allot of guys that are on it 24/7 and I don’t need a study or a shrink to tell me that there’s something wrong with them.
Heywood Jablowme
“With just the swipe of a finger, one can have access to hundreds, even thousands, of sexually available men.”
And yet 95% of the Queerty articles on Grindr are whiny complaints about how the writer can’t get ENOUGH guys to hook up with!
Curtis359
Well said…
ChrisK
Yes it’s essentially troll for guys closer in your category. Less drama and all. The rest is about the weight loss if you want say a skinny twink. All good points.
Thomas
There was also a discussion about social media and the negative effects it has on people’s ability to feel connected. I don’t think this study is limited to Grindr. I believe you could swap out any of the social connection sites and/or apps and find similar results. In many ways we’ve lost some of our social interaction skills by relying on digital tools. We use them to shortcut the awkward or uncomfortable interactions in larger social gatherings; the process of talking to people, figuring out if our wants/desires are on the same page as theirs and negotiating what happens after we figure that out…
assiandude
This is a BS article ascribing easy gay sex as the cause of the negative effects of an ap. It was not a study, but a survey which found that although it had the most negative feelings, it was comparable to candycrush and facebook. The issue appears more that the amount of time spent on an app leads to discontent. Candycrush’s statistics were comparable, but it’s hard to attribute that negative outcome to more than time spent on a popular app.
Heywood Jablowme
Yes. Candy Crush makes me feel dead inside!
jd.cali
I agree with other people’s comments here. This “study” is a voluntary tally with live active grindr users who wanted to chat with the guy conducting the “study”. They reached out to him.
So right there you are getting a jaded group of people. People who want to reachout and complain on grindr.
And 50 people?
Oh please. It’s completely bogus data. Sorry, not sorry.