I 24M have been on and off dating apps for almost five years.

Last year in Feb - Apr 2022, was my first time that I had properly started seeing someone off an app. She ticked every box for me( I never expected to even match with someone like that) and in a way things ended just before we were about to get into a relationship. Prior to that I never really had the best luck with any of the apps. Like I would get matches (but none of the conversations really went anywhere) and I did go on a few dates off the apps (but I didn't really feel like I clicked with anyone). And so when I did finally meet someone who I did feel I clicked with well, I did feel incredibly happy. But also I did feel insecure, because it had been such a long time before I had found someone like her, that I was afraid to do or say something that would turn someone off.

After things ended, I just was not having any luck with any of the apps, and that was when for the first time in my life i started paying to use dating apps (bought the hinge plus subscription). When I started paying for it, I began to spend an incessant amount of time on hinge. There would be times where I would spend hours a day liking new profiles(some of which I didn't even fully read). At times there would be the periods where I would get a heaps of matches in a single hour (and the dopamine rush would kick in) and other times when I would spend time liking profiles only to never get a single match.

All in all I have got a lot more dates/matches as a result of paying for hinge, but most of the time I just won't click with someone on a first date in real life (despite having good convos over text) and I will often get the 'i didn't feel any chemistry \ I don't we think click 'texts after a first/second/ third date (which is something I really respect whenever I get those texts) . Other times, I will have a date planned out but then someone will cancel on the day of the date.

Overall, it's gotten me thinking about a few things and i'm not sure what the solution is around these sort of things.
1) I feel like I have become needy with my use of dating apps, to the point where I check them excessively and pay for premium features, for the prospect of finding a great connection. I feel this is unhealthy for me.
2) Because I've gone a few dates now, where i haven't really clicked with someone. It makes me feel
a bit cynical, to the point where I'm not sure if I will ever find a good long term or even short term partner.
3)If I ever do start going out with someone and get along well with them, I feel like because I have been on and off the apps for such a long time, that I would get attached to someone in a needy way, in the sense that I would become insecure about things endings/ them losing interest in me.