Why does Paul Eastwick say dating apps make women seem far pickier than they are?

Paul Eastwick says women are somewhat more selective than men when people meet face to face at speed dating, but the gap is modest. On dating apps it becomes extreme: men still say yes to roughly half of profiles while women say no to about 95%. He argues this app-driven gap leaves men feeling rejected and feeds manosphere stories that blame women or feminism for what is really an effect of the apps.

• Eastwick says meeting people in groups or organically feels far less demoralizing than swiping.
• In his view the apps over-weight looks, which is exactly where people agree most about who is attractive.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Hidden Brain (2026-11-02). Read the whole episode summary →

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