David Markowitz
David Markowitz is a researcher whose work challenges dating app scarcity designs, suggesting expanded choices may improve user commitment.
Maintained by the High Intent newsroom. Last updated July 31, 2026. Led by founder and CEO Bill Alena, backed by a team of industry experts with over 100 years of online dating experience between them.
Who David Markowitz is
David Markowitz is a researcher affiliated with Michigan State University. His work includes studies into user behavior and perceptions within online dating platforms. A study co-authored by Markowitz, involving 535 participants, investigated the impact of displaying different numbers of profiles to users. The findings indicated that users shown 31 profiles expressed a stronger intention for commitment compared to those shown only 6 profiles. This research challenges the common design principle in some dating applications, such as Hinge and Bumble, which intentionally limit the number of profiles presented to users daily. These scarcity-based designs are often implemented based on the theory of choice overload, aiming to simplify decision-making. Markowitz's study suggests that these current app designs might not be optimal for fostering user outcomes like commitment. The implication for dating operators is to consider testing expanded choice sets within their platforms.
Questions operators ask about David Markowitz
The study concluded that users shown a larger number of profiles (31) expressed a stronger intention for commitment than those shown a limited number (6). This challenges the scarcity design prevalent in some dating apps like Hinge and Bumble.
Our coverage of David Markowitz
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MSU Study Puts Hinge and Bumble's Scarcity Logic on TrialA Michigan State University study of 535 participants found users shown 31 profiles intended stronger commitment than those shown 6, challenging the scarcity design at Hinge and Bumble. This suggests current app designs limiting choices, based on choice overload theory, might be hindering user outcomes instead of improving them. Operators should consider testing expanded choice sets to potentially deliver better user match quality and commitment.
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