A new survey reveals some surprising and not-so-surprising truths about the apps we use and the impact they have on our mental wellbeing.
Time Well Spent asked 200,000 iPhone users about the different kinds of apps they use and whether those apps make them happy or unhappy.
Not surprisingly, meditation apps like Headspace ranked pretty well, with 99% percent of users reporting they logged off feeling good. Music and podcast apps also received high scores.
So which app topped the “unhappy” list?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
You guessed it! Grindr!
Related: What happened when these two guys met for a date instead of a hookup is pure magic
An astonishing 77% of Grindr users reported feeling regret after logging onto the app. Surprised? Yeah, us neither.
The next “unhappy” app was Candy Crush Saga, which came in at 71%, followed by Facebook at 64%.
Researchers also found that the amount of time a person spends on an app can impact their levels of happiness with it.
“On average, comparing between ‘Happy’ and ‘Unhappy’ amounts of usage of the same apps, their ’unhappy’ amount is 2.4 times the amount of ‘happy time,’” Time Well Spent claims.
For example, people who used Facebook 22 minutes per day reported they were happy with the app; however, people who used it 59 minutes per day were unhappy.
The same was true for Candy Crush, Reddit, and Instagram.
So what’s the takeaway from all this?
Well, if Grindr’s got you down, try spending less time on it. You might like better. And you’ll definitely save on your data plan.
Related: Hilarious Instagram account offers inspirational messages to guys fed up with Grindr
Don't forget to share:
broadshoulder
Never tried it. Hows this for an idea? You frequent a pub, see someone you fancy…..and wander over and chat to them…
Heywood Jablowme
Won’t work. He will be staring at his phone.
Ummmm Yeah
Exact same concept as hookup apps.
NateOcean
Alcoholism!
Ummmm Yeah
No, hookup apps only make people that are obsessed with the idea that someone else is getting some and they aren’t miserable.
Brody
I suspect the people in question feel “miserable” about Grindr because they see it as “racist,” as this site frequently assures us is its intent.
Xzamilloh
Try not to jump the gun, Brody… you’re the one that just brought race identity politics into it, no one else.
OrchidIslander
Lighten up Brody. Not everything is about race and/or politics – unless you insist on making it so.
Kangol
Mo-Bro-dy worries being “racist” 24/7/365, guys, so he can’t help it.
Knight
Brody LOL!!! Just as an aside, Grindr and Tinder are great when traveling; instead of hitting a bar and plying some chick (and possibly her friends) with $40+ worth of alcohol you can just “order in”. And Grindr is even better for those moments you are traveling/passing through without a hotel.
So, yeah, they serve their purpose. But like anything in life, they can become an obsession.
Kieru
I met my husband shortly before smart phone apps usurped website services but it sounds like Grindr is basically ManHunt.net. It used to be that if you wanted “just sex” you’d use a service like ManHunt (or, eww, Craigslist), but if you wanted something more like a relationship you’d use Gay.com or a slew of other local-city services.
With the former there were always those that used them in the hopes of finding “Mr. Right” and those people were always bitter because it was always the same thing: Headless torsos asking for a dick pic while trying to find out if you were top/bottom and whether you were clean.
I suspect that people who are saddened by their own Grindr use need to examine what they are trying to get out of the app, and whether that’s really something the app provides.
sf_italianboi
u mean, be thoughtful and strategic about your dating choices? yeah that would mean self-responsibility. im afraid thats not gonna happen, what would they have to complain about? I spent about a week on scruf but my ex and his new BF work across the street so that got deleted fast
Kieru
@sf_italianboi – I guess that’s one way to look at it. I was going more for: ask yourself what you really want and if that’s what you’re getting.
If you’re going to Grindr looking for someone to date but all you’re getting are one-night stands well maybe there’s the problem. Maybe look for something more relationship-focused and less “I need to get off now”
Knight
Kieru – I got exactly what you are saying. And I agree 100%.
SFItal why should you care? If you happened to see EITHER of them online, that would be an embarrassment for THEM/their relationship…not you.
Bob LaBlah
A niece insisted that I get a Facebook page to stay in touch. No matter how I insisted a phone call would be more suitable to me she and now my nephew insisted I get one. So I did. A year or so later I get this message from Facebook saying “suspicious activity” was connected to my account and for me to verify who I was. I followed the prompts only to end up locked out of the damn page because they, Facebook, insisted that I not only change the password but also post a pic, which I refused to do. I feel it was all a ruse conducted by Facebook because they want a face with the page. I went on Facebook all of four or five times in those two years and couldn’t give a rats ass if it had been “infiltrated, compromised…etc” because there was NOTHING on it. I say to hell with all of it.
Heywood Jablowme
So Bob, how do you feel about Candy Crush Saga? lol
Bob LaBlah
@heywood Jablowme………lol lol lol You guys are too funny. And by the way, I love your name. lol lol lol
Knight
Bob dump facebook! You don’t need your personal info being data mined.
Zambos271
I thought Instagram would be high on the list with all of pretty pictures, exotic locales, perfect dinners, and perfect muscular bodies.
draven
Never used it. Went to it one time and all the guys in my area were horrible…..lol. I’m newly single. Can’t wait to just go out Day/Night and just meet someone for a date. Not quick hook-up. In 2018-19 and beyond quick hook ups gets you quick stds.
People out here nowadays are giving away stds and hiv away for free at astounding levels.
Knight
Draven while I can’t argue with the STD part, I CAN say that if you wear a condom and limit the bodily fluid exchange, you have little to worry about in that regard. As a total top, I rarely let guys give me oral sex, PRECISELY because they (and women) can give me an STD. To your point, for guys who are into BJs, they’re pretty much SOL…
Brian
“As a total top”
Sigh.
Daniel-Reader
What crazy person thinks oral sex has a greater chance of STI than intercourse? A condom doesn’t protect you from all STIs. That’s insane.
Knight
Brian hey,, I said that to Draven in the context that he doesn’t know who I am and I was talking about particular sexual habits which MIGHT be relative to him. Simmer down, bottom-boy. You’ve been drinking way too much hateraid these days.
Serenity333
It is depressing. It just Makes us more disconnected. To this day I have met more people when I’m out in public, at a coffee shop, through friends etc. more than I ever have through a Gay app.
ElPillo
Don’t blames me Grindr, blame us
Blackceo
I’m so glad I have a husband and don’t deal with these things. It sounds very convenient for quickie sex where you’re not trying to have to go through a whole lot to get down to it, but the thought of trying to navigate through this online world of apps and impersonal shit sounds sad.
Knight
BlackCEO I agree…it is sad, and I’m guilty of using them. But what’s sadder: hooking up with an app or hanging out by yourself on a Friday night at a club because you’re horny and hoping to get some? I think male horniness is in itself sad (and kinda funny).
nickedbeater
Brave new sad world? I should not have to be. In time media will become second-nature. Be optimistic.
Silent_Joe
While I can’t say much for my love life, I did meet my current roommate through Grindr.
Jaxton
Any dating app concentrates competitors. You end up competing with others in a small domain.
Notright
I know people who have met their husbands on grindr and they’re no where near being at the top of the handsome totem poll. Grindr is okay just understand what it is. A meat market.
RIGay
Same can be said for Twitter… Facebook… Tinder… Snapchat… wait… how about this – PUT DOWN THE F*CKING PHONE and MAKE EYE CONTACT with the PEOPLE AROUND YOU.
I live in RI. When the weather is warmer, I walk for exercise. I see the same guy, every morning, walking to [wherever], intently staring at his smartphone as he walks. I call him “The Squirrel” because >when< I say "Good morning!" (almost daily) to him, he stares at me in horror like he never saw me before and looks like he wants to scurry up the nearest tree.
Griff_Greymuzzle
It must be amazing to live in a world where you feel you CAN do this. Some of us physically can NOT do this. Has it ever once occurred to you that “The Squirrel” might suffer from Social Anxiety and all you’re doing is harassing him every morning? I have never been more thankful for websites and later apps that ALLOW me to meet people when going to a bar, cafe, or whatever and MAKE EYE CONTACT is just about the single most horrifying thing I can think of. No, I am not a shut in, I just don’t like strangers, crowds, etc. Being able to make contact with someone and chat a little before meeting them allows me to silence some of the negative thoughts and anxiety and I’m not meeting a “stranger” anymore. This also happens on Instagram and Telegram (the only ones I use). It literally allows me to meet people I would have no other way to meet. And for the record, I’ve been married for 15 years AND have a live in Boyfriend of one year, so again I’m not some basement dwelling man horror. I’m quite social once I know you, but not all of us can meet tons of people just by walking into a local Safeway and MAKING EYE CONTACT and PUTTING DOWN OUR F*KING PHONE….. P.s. Stop harassing The Squirrel!! He hasn’t done anything to deserve being wrecked every morning.
Rex Huskey
you think grindr is bad, try craiglist…. bring back park and bathroom cruising!!!
karljordinson
Never used Grindr been with my fella coming up to 18 yrs when mobile apps weren’t invented lol
I had a Nokia them brick sized ones they are being back!