Living Single

Singlehood

Single at Heart: The Essential Guide

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on November 28, 2023

People who are “single at heart” are happy and flourishing because they are single, not in spite of it. They have strengths and advantages that have gone unrecognized for too long.

People who are “single at heart” are happy and flourishing because they are single, not in spite of it. They have strengths and advantages that have gone unrecognized for too long.

Media

Young People Want TV, Movies With More Friends, Less Romance

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on October 28, 2023

Research shows young people want to see more stories about friendship and aromantic or asexual characters in the media. They think romantic and sexual themes sometimes seem forced.

Research shows young people want to see more stories about friendship and aromantic or asexual characters in the media. They think romantic and sexual themes sometimes seem forced.

Friends

Whose Friendship Circles Are the Most Insular?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on October 15, 2023

Are our circles of close friends diverse or insular? It depends.

Are our circles of close friends diverse or insular? It depends.

Sexual Orientation

How Asexuals and Aromantics Create Intimacy and Family

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on October 6, 2023

Asexuals and aromantics, as well as the single at heart, understand that intimacy encompasses far more than just sex or romance, and family is not just mom, dad, and the kids.

Asexuals and aromantics, as well as the single at heart, understand that intimacy encompasses far more than just sex or romance, and family is not just mom, dad, and the kids.

Relationships

The Trouble With Our First Relationships

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on September 27, 2023

Between the ages of 16 and 26, people who started their first romantic relationship had lower self-esteem than they did when they were single.

Between the ages of 16 and 26, people who started their first romantic relationship had lower self-esteem than they did when they were single.

Singlehood

The Key to a Fulfilling Life? Friendship, Not Marriage

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on September 17, 2023

New research reveals that adults see close friendships and enjoyable work as more important to a fulfilling life than being married or having kids.

New research reveals that adults see close friendships and enjoyable work as more important to a fulfilling life than being married or having kids.

Singlehood

Why Is Senator Tim Scott's Single Status Relevant?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on September 6, 2023

Why do donors feel apprehensive about supporting a candidate who is single when they like so many other things about that candidate?

Why do donors feel apprehensive about supporting a candidate who is single when they like so many other things about that candidate?

Singlehood

4 Ways to Defy Stereotypes of What It Means to Be Single

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on August 15, 2023

What does “single” mean? It doesn’t always mean that being single is temporary, that you are available for a romantic relationship, or that you don’t have anyone in your life.

What does “single” mean? It doesn’t always mean that being single is temporary, that you are available for a romantic relationship, or that you don’t have anyone in your life.

Friends

Criminalizing the Golden Girls? Bans on Cohabiting

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on August 7, 2023

Narrow definitions of family are out of step with how we live now and criminalize certain living arrangements favored by people who care deeply for one another.

Narrow definitions of family are out of step with how we live now and criminalize certain living arrangements favored by people who care deeply for one another.

Singlehood

Single and Queer?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on July 24, 2023

Many single people have inclusive and open-minded values. They challenge conventional ways of thinking and living. In those ways, their perspective is “queer.”

Many single people have inclusive and open-minded values. They challenge conventional ways of thinking and living. In those ways, their perspective is “queer.”

Sex

The Real Sex Lives of Middle-Age Single Women

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on July 17, 2023

Midlife as a time of sexual decline for single women? Not according to the results of 11 studies. Many enjoy sex more and feel empowered to have as much or as little as they want.

Midlife as a time of sexual decline for single women? Not according to the results of 11 studies. Many enjoy sex more and feel empowered to have as much or as little as they want.

Singlehood

What the Divorced and Widowed Know That Married People Don't

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on July 9, 2023

Newly divorced and widowed people can become sensitized to the stigmatizing and marginalizing of single people in a way they never were when they were married.

Newly divorced and widowed people can become sensitized to the stigmatizing and marginalizing of single people in a way they never were when they were married.

Relationships

Why So Many Single People Are Flourishing

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on July 1, 2023

Deficit narratives of single life obscure ways that single people are flourishing and fail to acknowledge systems of inequality that advantage couples and disadvantage singles.

Deficit narratives of single life obscure ways that single people are flourishing and fail to acknowledge systems of inequality that advantage couples and disadvantage singles.

Marriage

Why More People Reach Their 30s and 40s Without Ever Being Married

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on June 17, 2023

Getting to midlife without ever marrying has become commonplace. Pressures to couple may be subsiding, and people who like being single are becoming freer to live authentically.

Getting to midlife without ever marrying has become commonplace. Pressures to couple may be subsiding, and people who like being single are becoming freer to live authentically.

Marriage

A World Without Marriage

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on June 4, 2023

What would happen if the government got out of the marriage business? And if it won’t, should individuals decide to opt out? A scholar makes a forceful argument.

What would happen if the government got out of the marriage business? And if it won’t, should individuals decide to opt out? A scholar makes a forceful argument.

Divorce

The Special Strengths, Skills, and Advantages of Singles

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on May 2, 2023

Freedom, personal growth, and comfort with solitude are among the special advantages and skills that single people, or types of single people, may be especially likely to have.

Freedom, personal growth, and comfort with solitude are among the special advantages and skills that single people, or types of single people, may be especially likely to have.

Happiness

Are Married People Happier Than Single People?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on April 14, 2023

People who marry, on average, do not become lastingly happier than they were when they were single.

People who marry, on average, do not become lastingly happier than they were when they were single.

Parenting

Does It Seem Like Everyone Has Kids?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on April 6, 2023

Mothers in the U.S. typically live about three more decades after their last child has left home.

Mothers in the U.S. typically live about three more decades after their last child has left home.

Singlehood

Solo, No Kids: What About Work-Life Balance?

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on March 25, 2023

There are important misunderstandings about how people who live alone and have no kids spend their time outside of work, and how valuable that time is.

There are important misunderstandings about how people who live alone and have no kids spend their time outside of work, and how valuable that time is.

Loneliness

3 Kinds of Loneliness No One Talks About

Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on March 10, 2023

People can feel lonely even when they have meaningful bonds with others. Those who are single or who live alone can feel marginalized in other ways.

People can feel lonely even when they have meaningful bonds with others. Those who are single or who live alone can feel marginalized in other ways.