From Psychologies · Nina Parage · · 1m 30s
Being single has its own kind of happiness
New research says the happiest single people are the ones who treat solo life as room to grow, not a gap to fill.
In brief
New research says the happiest single people are the ones who treat solo life as room to grow, not a gap to fill. Your relationship status matters far less than how you read it, and a few close friendships beat a full romantic calendar. Originally reported by Psychologies.
A table for one
A solo dinner at the Thai place nobody else wanted to try. A road trip to the coast with no route and no co-pilot. Small departures from routine, and they add up to something.
Self-expansion goes solo
Three studies by Yuthika Girme at Simon Fraser University, published in August in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, applied a couples concept to single people: the drive to grow through new experiences.
“l'expansion de soi”
Belief comes first
Across weeks of daily diaries, singles who saw their status as a chance to grow tried more new things: hiking, solo travel, a new skill. Their life satisfaction climbed day after day.
Rarely actually alone
82% of the singles surveyed shared these experiences with friends or family rather than romantic partners. Only about 18% went fully solo.
Chosen, not endured
That sense of potential drops off in people who did not choose their single life, and in those who believe a romance is required for happiness. Perception is the variable, not status.
“la variable qui compte vraiment n'est pas le statut relationnel en soi, mais la façon dont on le perçoit”
Friendship is the ingredient
Lisa Walsh's UCLA team asked 1,073 Americans aged 18 to 24 about five happiness factors. Friendship satisfaction won. 37.9% called themselves fairly happy against 23.7% who were genuinely unhappy.
“la qualité du lien compte davantage que la taille du cercle social”
The essence
Your relationship status matters far less than how you read it, and a few close friendships beat a full romantic calendar.
