The Real Reason You Shouldn't Unmatch People On Dating Apps

These days, romance is being navigated online from start to finish via dating apps, where you find yourself swiping right and left when you are looking for a relationship, serious or casual or in between. If you are already in a relationship, the internet will help you document, preserve, and share lovely memories (via Shape).

As with everything online, though, there are dangers and pitfalls to online dating that could cause regrets whether you've just only signed up to meet new people, or if you've already matched with one or two people.

If you are looking to bond with someone you met via one of the dating apps around, there is a risk that you could be catfished — deceived with a fake profile (per Age UK). It's also possible that you would match with someone who's terrible at conversations; they could be offensive in person and not as sophisticated or well-mannered as their profile and other online exchanges might have led you to believe. They could be completely underwhelming compared to the expectations you've built up from their online dating profile.

In any or all of these cases, unmatching them sounds like the perfect solution — cut them off, and cut your losses. Feels like the next logical step to take, doesn't it? Well, not according to some people.

As much as it may sound like an appealing choice to rid yourself (and your social media) of someone you've had a bad experience with, doing that may not be your best choice. In fact, it could be more problematic than helpful to do this.

According to dating coach Ali, who dishes out relationship tips via a TikTok podcast, when you match with a boring person who somehow doesn't give you "much to work with" and apparently can only string together "one or two-word answers," you should not be too quick to unmatch them (via Finding Mr Height).

Why? Because "they're gonna go right back in the pool to see you again," says Ali. With time, you may come to forget their profile and the unpleasant encounter you had with them previously. "You might forget that they have s***** conversation skills and match with them again," the expert noted. When this happens, you find yourself reliving that frustrating experience when you could have easily avoided it altogether by choosing to not unmatch them. "I leave the conversation open and then I'll never see those people again," she said.