I have used tinder on and off for years. Getting easy lays, as well as hard earned lays, and even a LTR that was on the verge of marriage at one point. Here are some observations from my experience and a recent article I read:
(1) location makes all the difference:
I am from San Diego, California, but I have little/no tinder game here. The competition is apparently too high, market too small, and talent too low. I am hispanic, only match with Latinas. I like Latinas, but here, it is obvious that quality girls of other races are not interested in me at all.
I lived in Los Angeles for a time, and I got essentially no response. No real matches. Worse than San Diego. Never even met up with anyone from Tinder.
I have been living in Phoenix, Arizona. It is a goldmine. The competition is low from other guys, quality of girls better, volume much higher. There are two reasons I think for success: quality/quantity of graduate schools, and jobs for girls entering their corporate careers for the 22-26 age bracket - this pulls girls in from all over the country. Because of this dynamic, girls see themselves as in the state of Arizona temporarily. I do not have to deal much with girls desiring marriage/LTR. girls are open to fun. Good luck finding a wife with feminine qualities if that is your thing. If you are looking for easy sex though, it is the place.
(2) race matters
this can either hurt or harm you, depending on the values of the city you are in. in Southern California, where the border is essentially open with Mexico and there is a lot of migration, Mexicans are seen as lesser-than and undesirable to other races. even within the Mexican race, for the same reasons. if you are an attractive and successful white man, I am sure you will kill it in Southern California.
in AZ, there is less integration, so people don't have their radar up like in CA. there is no need to "guard" against integration. the socio-economic setup in AZ prohibits it mostly. therefore, if you have money or education, you are perceived with excitement, with exoticness. as a lawyer, I therefore enjoy a level of success that is unprecedented for me. in California, no one cares. in Arizona, I am seen as exotic.
that said. there was recently an interesting publication in the magazine "the economist" about online dating - honing in specifically on tinder:
race has real effects: the winners are asian women, with Latina women close behind. white women follow closely in third, and black women lag far, far behind in last. for men, the winners are white men, (who fall behind Latina women in desirability overall), followed closely by black men. The losers are hispanic and particularly, asian men.
(3) women have an advantage
this is no news to anyone, but the economist article surprised me still: the LEAST attractive women on tinder have EQUAL attention to the MOST attractive men on tinder. I had figured the girls in the middle of the bunch would receive this level of attention. Wrong.
(4) we all want to date above our league
the economist reports that all users focused their time and attention most on the users rated 25% more attractive than themselves.
moral of the story: game does not matter that much on tinder. it is social dynamics and attraction. if you are somewhat successful with women in real life, then there are places where you are desired on a raw, real level. if you are there, take advantage of tinder. if you are not, good luck chasing scraps. your game better be on point to even keep those scraps.
(1) location makes all the difference:
I am from San Diego, California, but I have little/no tinder game here. The competition is apparently too high, market too small, and talent too low. I am hispanic, only match with Latinas. I like Latinas, but here, it is obvious that quality girls of other races are not interested in me at all.
I lived in Los Angeles for a time, and I got essentially no response. No real matches. Worse than San Diego. Never even met up with anyone from Tinder.
I have been living in Phoenix, Arizona. It is a goldmine. The competition is low from other guys, quality of girls better, volume much higher. There are two reasons I think for success: quality/quantity of graduate schools, and jobs for girls entering their corporate careers for the 22-26 age bracket - this pulls girls in from all over the country. Because of this dynamic, girls see themselves as in the state of Arizona temporarily. I do not have to deal much with girls desiring marriage/LTR. girls are open to fun. Good luck finding a wife with feminine qualities if that is your thing. If you are looking for easy sex though, it is the place.
(2) race matters
this can either hurt or harm you, depending on the values of the city you are in. in Southern California, where the border is essentially open with Mexico and there is a lot of migration, Mexicans are seen as lesser-than and undesirable to other races. even within the Mexican race, for the same reasons. if you are an attractive and successful white man, I am sure you will kill it in Southern California.
in AZ, there is less integration, so people don't have their radar up like in CA. there is no need to "guard" against integration. the socio-economic setup in AZ prohibits it mostly. therefore, if you have money or education, you are perceived with excitement, with exoticness. as a lawyer, I therefore enjoy a level of success that is unprecedented for me. in California, no one cares. in Arizona, I am seen as exotic.
that said. there was recently an interesting publication in the magazine "the economist" about online dating - honing in specifically on tinder:
race has real effects: the winners are asian women, with Latina women close behind. white women follow closely in third, and black women lag far, far behind in last. for men, the winners are white men, (who fall behind Latina women in desirability overall), followed closely by black men. The losers are hispanic and particularly, asian men.
(3) women have an advantage
this is no news to anyone, but the economist article surprised me still: the LEAST attractive women on tinder have EQUAL attention to the MOST attractive men on tinder. I had figured the girls in the middle of the bunch would receive this level of attention. Wrong.
(4) we all want to date above our league
the economist reports that all users focused their time and attention most on the users rated 25% more attractive than themselves.
moral of the story: game does not matter that much on tinder. it is social dynamics and attraction. if you are somewhat successful with women in real life, then there are places where you are desired on a raw, real level. if you are there, take advantage of tinder. if you are not, good luck chasing scraps. your game better be on point to even keep those scraps.