New Study Finds Romantic AI Chatbots Lead To Poorer Mental Health

One in four young adults is now having regular conversations with AI romantic partners, spending an average of 50 minutes per week chatting with artificial companions. This is happening right now, according to a new research lead by Brian Willoughby, a professor at Brigham Young University. The team surveyed nearly 3,000 American adults about their use of romantic AI technologies.

The results show that 19% of all adults have interacted with AI chatbots designed as romantic partners, while 13% actively seek out AI-generated social media accounts featuring idealized virtual people. Also, people in committed relationships are actually more likely to use romantic AI than single people, challenging assumptions about loneliness driving this behaviour.

What’s even more concerning is that the research found clear links between romantic AI use and poorer mental health outcomes. Users showed higher levels of depression and lower life satisfaction compared to non-users, suggesting that rather than helping people feel less isolated, romantic AI might be making things worse.

How Widespread This Really Is

Nearly half of all American adults have encountered AI-generated social media accounts featuring idealized people, and 13% actively seek out this content. But the real surprise comes with AI chatbots – almost 1 in 5 adults have used them for romantic conversations, with that number jumping to over 25% among people aged between 18-29.

The gender breakdown reveals clear patterns. Men are significantly more likely to engage with AI for sexual purposes, including viewing AI-generated pornography and having explicit conversations with chatbots. Young adults lead the adoption across all categories, being more than twice as likely as older adults to use these technologies regularly.

What People Are Actually Doing

Active users spend an average of 50 minutes per week chatting with AI romantic partners, while those following AI-generated social media accounts dedicate about 30 minutes weekly to viewing this content. Also, approximately 1/3 of chatbot users report finding their chats sexually arousing, while 16% have sexual conversations with AI on at least a weekly basis.

Beyond that aspect, many users develop genuine preferences for AI interaction over human relationships. About 40% say AI companions are easier to talk to or better listeners than humans, 31% feel the AI understands them better than real people, and 20% actually prefer communicating with AI systems over people in certain situations. This suggests some people are finding artificial relationships more appealing than human ones, which raises questions about developing healthy relationship skills and emotional connections with other people.

The Mental Health Impact

The study’s most concerning finding centers on mental health outcomes. Researchers found statistically significant correlations between romantic AI use and higher levels of depression, along with lower overall life satisfaction. These results held up even after controlling for other factors like general social media use, age, gender, and religious attendance, suggesting the connection isn’t a coincidence.

The effects were described as “small but meaningful,” which means that while romantic AI isn’t necessarily causing severe mental health crises by itself, it appears to be one contributing factor among many. What’s also interesting is that researchers found no evidence that AI use helps people feel less alone or isolated – the opposite of what many users might expect from these technologies.

Findings That Challenge Common Assumptions

The research revealed several counterintuitive patterns that contradict popular assumptions about who uses romantic AI and why. People in committed relationships were actually more likely to report using AI-generated romantic content and chatbots than single people. This finding directly challenges the belief that loneliness or lack of real-life companionship drives romantic AI use.

Lead researcher Brian Willoughby noted he was surprised at finding that “a significant minority of young adults are using these types of technologies regularly” rather than just a small experimental group. The data tells us that romantic AI use may be serving different purposes than expected – potentially supplementing existing relationships or providing validation outside of them, rather than filling a void left by absent human connections.

This pattern raises questions about whether romantic AI is becoming a normal part of how younger generations approach relationships and intimacy, rather than an alternative for those struggling with human connection.

What This Means Moving Forward

While this research provides valuable insights, the study has important limitations. The researchers used cross-sectional data – a snapshot at one point in time – making it impossible to determine whether romantic AI use causes mental health problems, or whether people with existing issues are more drawn to these technologies. The study also relied on self-reported behaviors, introducing potential accuracy issues since participants might underreport usage or not recognize increasingly realistic AI content.

Implications

The findings raise questions about emotional development and relationship skills, particularly among young adults using these technologies during crucial years for learning intimate connections. If people find AI companions “easier to talk to” and “better listeners” than humans, this could impact their ability to navigate the challenges that come with real relationships.

From a societal perspective, we’re witnessing artificial intimacy becoming normalized, especially among younger generations. The fact that people in committed relationships use romantic AI more than singles indicates these technologies serve as supplements to existing relationships, potentially creating new expectations around intimacy and emotional connection.

Lead researcher Brian Willoughby’s team is conducting follow-up studies to better understand these patterns, examining whether personality traits predict usage and how AI engagement affects emotional development over time. Until we have longer-term data, the current findings serve as an early warning about potential risks that deserve attention from users, mental health professionals, and technology developers.

Conclusion

The data shows concerning patterns – nearly 25% of young adults using AI romantic partners, correlations with depression, and some users preferring artificial over human interaction. The fact that people in committed relationships use these technologies more than singles tells us this is not just a solution for loneliness.

But this study has limitations. We can’t tell if romantic AI causes mental health issues or if people with existing problems gravitate toward these tools. The reliance on self-reported data and lack of long-term tracking means we’re still missing crucial pieces of the puzzle about actual impacts on wellbeing and relationship development.

Still, using common sense we can say that widespread romantic AI adoption will likely create significant implications for how future generations develop emotional skills and relationship expectations. The technology is advancing faster than our understanding of its psychological effects. How this plays out – whether it helps or harms people – will depend on how thoughtfully we integrate these tools and what safeguards we create to protect emotional wellbeing.