In the words of Queen Bey (Beyonce), “all the single ladies, put your hands up!” A new study from Science Daily shows being soltera is where it’s at.
With more unmarried people in the U.S. now than ever before (50.2%), there’s a very new and apparent preference for being single and loving it. Now we know that it could be for good reasons.
Longitudinal research shows that single people value meaningful work more than married people, which leads to more job opportunities, more gratifying feelings of independence and greater self-satisfaction. Studies also show that single people are more connected to their parents, siblings, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
When DePaulo compared people who stayed single with those who were married, she found that single people have a hieghtened sense of self-determination and are more likely to experience “a sense of continued growth and development as a person.”
“The more self-sufficient [single people] were, the less likely they were to experience negative emotions,” DePaulo said. “For married people, the opposite was true.”
But don’t go swearing off marriage for good. DePaulo said that one status isn’t better than the other and notes there is no one blueprint for a good life.
“More than ever before, Americans can pursue the ways of living that work best for them,” she said. “What matters is not what everyone else is doing or what other people thing we should be doing, but whether we can find the places, the spaces, and the people that fit who we really are and allow us to live our best lives.”
So in case you needed a pre-cuffing season pep talk, the stats are all here: you don’t necessarily need a partner to live a happier life. In fact, you might be better off without one for now.