Why Do I Meet the Wrong Women on Dating Apps?

I thought that dating apps would be the most efficient way to meet women but it’s been nothing but frustration for me.

By Harris O’Malley

What’s up, Doc?

I’m (m/28) writing to you because I’ve been struggling with meeting women and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here.

I’m coming off several years of being single after a bad break up (at least partly because of COVID). I’ve moved to a new, larger city and I’ve been ready to get back into the dating scene again. I thought that dating apps would be the most efficient way to meet women but it’s been nothing but frustration for me (and I imagine for others too).

I’m going to be blunt here: I’m a decent looking guy, I’m no gym rat but I’m pretty athletic and have a sports-oriented lifestyle (off-road bicycling, rock climbing, water sports, that sort of thing) and my ideal match would have a similarly active life. It’s pretty important to me, especially since I couldn’t do a lot of it during the quarantine.

I’ve paid for memberships on several sites so I could see who’s interested in me and, frankly, most of the women who’ve shown interest (swiped on me or messaged me first) are, bluntly, not my type. I’ve read what…