--- title: "LGBTQ+ Wellness Gap: A Missed Opportunity for Dating Apps" description: "Lovehoney's survey reveals LGBTQ+ users view sex as wellness. Dating apps risk losing ground by ignoring this shift. Here's why it matters." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "LGBTQ+ Users Treat Sex as Wellness. Dating Apps Are Missing the Cue.", "description": "Lovehoney's survey reveals LGBTQ+ users view sex as wellness. Dating apps risk losing ground by ignoring this shift. Here's why it matters.", "abstract": "Lovehoney's survey reveals LGBTQ+ users view sex as wellness. Dating apps risk losing ground by ignoring this shift. 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[Home](/) 2. [News](/news) 3. [Data & Analytics](/news) 4. LGBTQ+ Users Treat Sex as Wellness. Dating Apps Are Missing the Cue. ![A smartphone displaying health and dating applications alongside a notebook on a wooden desk.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/6315143/pexels-photo-6315143.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1200&h=220&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1) A smartphone displaying health and dating applications alongside a notebook on a wooden desk. [Data & Analytics](/news?category=data-analytics) # LGBTQ+ Users Treat Sex as Wellness. Dating Apps Are Missing the Cue. By [DII Data Team](/author/data-analytics)· June 1, 2026· 5 min read [](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-lgbtq-singles-dating-self-care&text=LGBTQ%2B%20Users%20Treat%20Sex%20as%20Wellness.%20Dating%20Apps%20Are%20Missing%20the%20Cue.)[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-lgbtq-singles-dating-self-care)[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-lgbtq-singles-dating-self-care) Reviewed and updated: July 31, 2026 A A ## Key Points - • A Lovehoney survey found 35 per cent of homosexual UK adults use sex for period pain relief compared to 16 per cent of heterosexual respondents. - • The Lovehoney survey revealed 40 per cent of bisexual UK respondents use sex for headache relief compared to 22 per cent of heterosexual respondents. - • Across all UK respondents surveyed by Lovehoney, 76 per cent of Gen Z and 75 per cent of Millennials report using sex to manage stress. - • Lovehoney research showed that 70 per cent of UK adults aged 25 to 34 use sex as an aid to fall asleep. LGBTQ+ singles are integrating sex into their wellness routines at dramatically higher rates than their straight counterparts, treating physical intimacy as functional self-care alongside meditation apps and therapy sessions. Yet the dating platforms claiming to serve these communities remain trapped in romance-first messaging, unable or unwilling to acknowledge how their core users actually think about sex. A new survey from Lovehoney exposes a commercial blind spot that should worry every major dating app operator. ![Person using smartphone for dating apps](https://images.pexels.com/photos/4833839/pexels-photo-4833839.jpeg) Person using smartphone for dating apps ## The wellness gap nobody wants to discuss The survey of 2,000 UK adults reveals a pattern that mainstream platforms have studiously avoided acknowledging. Homosexual respondents were more than twice as likely as straight people to use sex for period pain relief, at 35% versus 16%. Bisexual respondents topped the chart at 40%. For headache relief, the pattern held: bisexual people were twice as likely as heterosexuals to reach for intimacy over ibuprofen, 40% against 22%. The contrast isn't marginal—it represents a fundamentally different relationship with physical intimacy. ### Create a free account Unlock unlimited access and get the weekly briefing delivered to your inbox. Register free No spam. No password. We'll send a one-time link to confirm your email. Whilst [Match Group](/news/blk-free-gas-gift-cards-dating) and Bumble have spent the past two years wrapping themselves in mental health messaging and 'intentional dating' rhetoric, the numbers suggest LGBTQ+ users were already miles ahead. They're viewing sex not just as recreation or romance, but as functional wellness integrated into a broader self-care toolkit. > Dating platforms love to talk about mental health until the conversation gets specific. This data hands them a clear commercial opportunity: build features and messaging that acknowledge the wellness dimension of intimacy, particularly for LGBTQ+ members who are evidently already thinking this way. ## The generational dimension Stress relief showed the broadest adoption: 65% of all respondents reported having sex to manage stress, according to Lovehoney's figures. But the generational split tells the real story. Some 76% of Gen Z and 75% of Millennials said yes, compared to 58% of older generations. ![Young adults managing wellness and mental health](https://images.pexels.com/photos/37048159/pexels-photo-37048159.jpeg) Young adults managing wellness and mental health On sleep, 60% overall said they'd used sex to help them fall asleep, rising to 70% among 25–34 year olds. These aren't outliers—they're the core dating app demographic, and they expect platforms to meet them where they already are. Dating apps have responded to this shift with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. [Bumble](/news/bumble-founder-envisions-ai-dating-assistants) introduced 'opening moves' and wellness-adjacent features whilst haemorrhaging members. Hinge leans harder into 'designed to be deleted', framing relationships as the wellness outcome rather than acknowledging what happens inside them. [Grindr](/news/grindr-survey-authentic-profile-photo-trend), to its credit, has always been more honest about functionality. But even it stops short of explicit wellness positioning, despite serving a community that, per this data, clearly views sex through a health lens. ## What the experts got half right [Annabelle Knight](/people/annabelle-knight), Lovehoney's sex and relationship expert, attributed the LGBTQ+ figures to 'fewer restrictive societal attitudes' toward sex and pleasure in those communities. Her explanation—that this openness allows more flexible approaches to using intimacy for wellbeing, and that partners won't be 'as offended with hookups done on a whim as a self-care measure'—is one interpretation, though a debatable one. The reality is messier. LGBTQ+ individuals still face significant stigma in many contexts, from healthcare settings to family structures. What may be driving the gap isn't absence of stigma but rather a community that's had to build its own frameworks around sex, intimacy, and identity outside heteronormative structures. > If the wellness gap stems from genuinely different attitudes rather than simply reduced stigma, then serving LGBTQ+ users well requires more than rainbow-washing in June. It means acknowledging varied motivations for [seeking](/news/seeking-cto-romance-fraud-growing) intimacy—some romantic, some recreational, some frankly medicinal. That often means fewer inherited scripts about what sex is 'supposed' to be for, leaving more room to treat it pragmatically as a tool for managing pain or stress. For dating platforms, the distinction matters when designing products that actually serve these communities. ## The commercial tension Mainstream wellness apps have already moved. Calm and [Headspace](/products/headspace) now feature sexual wellness content. Femtech brands like Flo and Clue integrate sexual activity tracking alongside cycle data. Even fertility apps position sex as a health metric. ![Health and wellness app interface on mobile device](https://images.pexels.com/photos/4833846/pexels-photo-4833846.jpeg) Health and wellness app interface on mobile device Dating platforms, by contrast, remain allergic to explicit health claims, likely for good legal and regulatory reasons. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority takes a dim view of overreach, and making therapeutic claims about sex would invite scrutiny. But there's a gap between making claims and simply acknowledging reality. The platforms that crack this will likely do it through design rather than marketing copy. Features that support varied relationship structures, clearer signalling around what users want from connection, and integration with broader health ecosystems—not wellness-washing taglines that mean nothing. The risk of inaction is that niche platforms fill the void. Lex and Feeld have already built communities around more expansive definitions of intimacy. If mainstream apps continue treating wellness as a marketing veneer rather than a product reality, they'll keep ceding ground to operators willing to meet users where they actually are—tracking their cycles, managing their stress, and yes, [using sex as part of that process](https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/lgbtqiaplus-mental-health/self-care-for-lgbtqiaplus-people/). Lovehoney's data should be uncomfortable reading for dating executives. Not because it reveals anything scandalous, but because it exposes how far product thinking lags behind user behaviour—especially for the LGBTQ+ and younger demographics that platforms claim to prioritise. The [unique challenges LGBT individuals face in dating](https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/ask-dr-darcy/201602/5-rules-for-lgbt-dating) extend beyond romance into how they conceptualise intimacy itself, and [their willingness to lower barriers to intimacy](https://www.lgbthero.org.uk/fs169-fighting-the-fear-of-intimacy) in ways that serve their broader wellbeing needs. ## Key Takeaways - • Dating app operators face commercial vulnerabilities if romance-first positioning ignores how LGBTQ+ and younger users integrate physical intimacy into personal wellness routines. - • To retain users from niche platforms like Feeld and Lex, mainstream operators must innovate product design and intent signalling without making regulated therapeutic claims. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What percentage of Gen Z use sex for stress relief? ### How do homosexual and heterosexual UK adults differ in using sex for period pain relief? ### Why do dating apps avoid making health claims about sex? Cite this article [Gen Z](/tag/gen-z)[Dating Apps](/tag/dating-apps)[Regulation & Policy](/tag/regulation-policy) D [DII Data Team](/author/data-analytics) Data & Analytics Desk The DII Data Team maintains the publication's trackers, market data and analytical reference hubs for the online dating industry. [More articles by DII Data Team](/author/data-analytics) ### In this article - [The wellness gap nobody wants to discuss](#section-0-the-wellness-gap-nobody-wants-to-discuss) - [The generational dimension](#section-1-the-generational-dimension) - [What the experts got half right](#section-2-what-the-experts-got-half-right) - [The commercial tension](#section-3-the-commercial-tension) ### Mentioned in This Article Companies [![Grindr logo](https://img.logo.dev/grindr.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Grindr Dating Platform GRND $10.72 ▼-0.80% ](/companies/grindr)[![Seeking logo](https://img.logo.dev/seeking.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Seeking Dating Platform ](/companies/seeking)[![Feeld logo](https://img.logo.dev/feeld.co?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Feeld Dating Platform ](/companies/feeld)[![Match Group logo](https://img.logo.dev/mtch.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Match Group Dating Platform MTCH $31.42 ▼-1.20% ](/companies/match-group)[![Bumble logo](https://img.logo.dev/bumble.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Bumble Dating Platform BMBL $4.87 ▲+3.40% ](/companies/bumble) People [ Annabelle Knight sex and relationship expert ](/people/annabelle-knight) Products [![Bumble logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Bumble?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Bumble ](/products/bumble)[![Feeld logo](https://img.logo.dev/feeld.co?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Feeld ](/products/feeld-app)[![Clue logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Clue?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Clue ](/products/clue)[![Once logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Once?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Once ](/products/once)[![The Pattern logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/The%20Pattern?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)The Pattern ](/products/the-pattern)[![Calm logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Calm?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Calm ](/products/calm)[![Seeking logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Seeking?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Seeking ](/products/seeking)[![Hinge logo](https://img.logo.dev/hinge.co?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Hinge ](/products/hinge)[![Grindr logo](https://img.logo.dev/grindr.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Grindr ](/products/grindr-app)[![HER logo](https://img.logo.dev/weareher.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)HER ](/products/her-app)[![Headspace logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Headspace?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Headspace ](/products/headspace)[![Lex logo](https://img.logo.dev/thisislex.app?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Lex ](/products/lex-app)[![Flo logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Flo?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Flo ](/products/flo) ## Trending in Dating Tech 1. 1 [![A person holding a smartphone displaying a dating app profile alongside a coffee cup on a wooden table.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/7339183/pexels-photo-7339183.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=96&h=96&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1)](/news/hinge-expands-face-check-direct-date) [Hinge's Face Check and Direct to Date Are Admissions That the Core Experience Is Broken](/news/hinge-expands-face-check-direct-date) 2. 2 [![A smartphone displaying a blocked dating application interface beside a digital privacy icon.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/19209287/pexels-photo-19209287.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=96&h=96&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1)](/news/turkey-blocks-lgbtq-dating-apps) [Turkey's LGBTQ+ App Ban: A Test for Global Dating Platforms](/news/turkey-blocks-lgbtq-dating-apps) 3. 3 [![A frustrated woman looks at her smartphone screen while sitting alone at a wooden cafe table.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/7339183/pexels-photo-7339183.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=96&h=96&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1)](/news/study-men-go-on-more-dates) [Dating Apps' Gender Imbalance: Women Withdraw as Men Persist](/news/study-men-go-on-more-dates) 4. 4 [![A smartphone displaying a modern dating app interface set against the backdrop of the Singapore city skyline.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/28539711/pexels-photo-28539711.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=96&h=96&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1)](/news/chinese-dating-app-tantan-rebrands-singapore) [Tantan's 'Intentional Casual' Rebrand: A Strategic Exit from China's Grip?](/news/chinese-dating-app-tantan-rebrands-singapore) 5. 5 [![A smartphone screen displaying a Hinge dating profile with a beating heart status badge next to the user name.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/36765306/pexels-photo-36765306.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=96&h=96&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1)](/news/hinge-signals-feature-highlights-user-engagement) [Hinge's 'Signals' Badge: Engagement Fix or Just a Retention Play?](/news/hinge-signals-feature-highlights-user-engagement) ### Create a free account Unlimited access — delivered weekly. 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[← Previous Article Grindr's 'Bussy' Tour: A Bold Bet on Offline Engagement Amid App Fatigue ](/news/grindr-begins-2026-rides-again-tour)[Community & Directory](/news?category=community)[Next Article → Guardian Flame's Risk Scores: Accountability or Harassment? ](/news/guardian-flame-dating-safety-system-launch)[Technology & AI Lab](/news?category=technology-ai) ## More in Data & Analytics [View all →](/news?category=data-analytics) [ Data & Analytics ![A smartphone displaying a dating app interface held by a user.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/11216260/pexels-photo-11216260.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1) ### HUD's 18M Users: A Market Failure in Casual Dating HUD has reached 18 million users across 166 countries, nearly a decade after launching as an explicitly casual dating ap… Monday 10th March · 1 min read Read → ](/news/hud-app-surpasses-18-million-users)[ Technology & AI Lab ![A smartphone user accessing a digital dating application next to abstract artificial intelligence networking graphics.](https://wljexrfnabxcmtcyztnv.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/media/posts/698f5511-5695-4962-94db-f09cf3a33f12.jpg?width=600&height=340&resize=cover&quality=75&format=origin) ### Grindr's AI Claims: Revenue Diversification or Genuine Innovation? Grindr CEO claims AI generates 70% of the company's codebase—a claim no other major dating platform has approached Premi… Friday 20th March · 1 min read Read → ](/news/grindr-2026-roadmap-focuses-gai)[ Financial & Investor ![A smartphone displaying a location-based dating application interface alongside financial growth charts.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/7339183/pexels-photo-7339183.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1) ### Grindr's Growth Exposes Match Group's Scale as a Liability Grindr's revenue climbed 27% year-over-year in Q4 2024, nine times faster than Match Group's 3% growth to $864M Tinder's… Wednesday 20th August · 1 min read Read → ](/news/dating-apps-primed-for-rebound)[ Community & Directory ![A stylish open print magazine featuring creative typography and artistic photography resting on a modern wooden coffee table.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/1007027/pexels-photo-1007027.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1) ### Feeld's Print Magazine: A Lifestyle Pivot or Costly Brand Theatre? Feeld is launching 'A Fucking Magazine', a biannual print publication featuring essays, poetry, and photography explorin… Thursday 17th October · 1 min read Read → ](/news/feeld-launches-print-magazine-modern-sexuality) ![](https://images.pexels.com/photos/11216260/pexels-photo-11216260.jpeg) Up next: [HUD's 18M Users: A Market Failure in Casual Dating](/news/hud-app-surpasses-18-million-users) [](/news/hud-app-surpasses-18-million-users) ![Dating Industry Insights](/assets/dii-logo-footer-B-hNTbau.webp) B2B intelligence for the online dating industry. 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