Living Single

The truth about singles in our society.

Bella DePaulo Ph.D.

19 Ways Single People Are Doing Way Better than You Realized

The book, Happy Singlehood, documents what single people are doing right, and how they are getting more happiness out of their social lives and their values than married people are

How Single People Are Shortchanged in the Health Care System

Antiquated assumptions about how we live now, together with singlist stereotyping and discrimination, can make it hard for singles to get adequate health care.

What Makes Your Life Meaningful and Fulfilling?

I didn’t realize it until recently, but for years, the ways I talked about my own single life, and the relevant research, was influenced by prevailing narratives about marriage.

Unapologetically Single? Here Are the Best Ted Talks for You

Looking for talks that will affirm your love of single life? Show you singlism? Critique marriage? Here are some good ones.

The Personalities of People Who Stay Single and Like It

Lifelong single people, people who like their time alone, who are unafraid of being single, and the single-at-heart, have personality profiles suggesting good psychological health.

Divorce Rates Around the World: A Love Story

Globally, rates of divorce have grown, especially for nations with greater economic development and education, more women in the workforce, and greater acceptance of individualism.

How Do Single and Married People Spend Their Time?

Survey data from more than 26,000 households shows that single people spend more time on educational activities, and married people spend more time on housework.

Single Life Gets Even Better With Age, New Research Shows

Singles are more satisfied with their lives today than a few decades ago, and singles get more satisfied with age. Having a partner isn’t very relevant to feeling lonely anymore.

Oh, the Things You Can Do If You Are Single

Shouldn’t married people be more likely to follow their dreams? Not according to these singles. Research offers some hints about why this is happening.

2019 Will Bring Happy Singlehood and Martyr-Free Living

Coming in 2019 are new books on living happily single, successful single-parenting, skipping parenting, turning 40, and critiquing romance. Important new studies are coming, too.

Being Single in 2018: What Happened?

More than a round-up of what 2018 was like for single people, this can serve as an overview of enlightened ways of thinking about single life.

Living Single, 2018: Your 13 Favorite Articles

Happy single men and single women, enjoying their solitude and not obsessed with sex, were some of the most popular themes from this 2018 Living Single blog.

Friendship May Be Sweeter for People Who Are Single

When single people can confide in their friends and rely on them, they are more emotionally healthy. There is a similar dynamic for couples, but it is not as powerful.

Is Solitude Something You Enjoy or a Way of Avoiding Others?

New research shows that people who enjoy time alone have a different profile of psychological health than people who spend time alone to avoid others.

No Need to Marry, Have Kids to Be Fulfilled: New Survey

In a survey, Americans said there are no more advantages to being married than single; marriage is not a marker of adulthood, and it is not essential to a fulfilling life.

7 Reasons Why Young People Are Having Less Sex

Young adults are having less sex than the generations before them, even though conditions should make it easier for them to have more.

129 Ways to Get a Husband: 1958, Meet 2018

In 1958, McCall’s magazine published “129 ways to get a husband.” Let’s rewrite the rules for today’s happily single women.

Revolutionary to Retro: Reading, Then Meeting, Erica Jong

In the '70s, second-wave feminists like Erica Jong preached marriage plus career for all women, and tried to silence singles. Now we're loud, proud, and heard.

In Love With Romantic Love? That Comes With Risks

Our love affair with romantic love has some serious downsides: Life choices become limited, and young people become depressed, research shows.

Why More Women Are Finding Happiness by Staying Single

A new survey shows that young single women, more than men, value their independence and space — and they feel empowered.

Don’t Even Try to Shame Millennials, Gen Z for Being Single

In a new survey from Tinder, millennials and Generation Z singles showed their appreciation for single life.

The Rise of Single People: Why Some Find It Scary

Many are frightened by the rise of single people and all the freedom they have. Here’s why they shouldn’t be.

Are Single People Happy Because They Are Free?

Married people are constrained in ways that single people are not. How much that matters depends on what single people do with their freedom.

The Great Unraveling: Marriage Liberated Us by Coming Undone

Big, important components of life used to be all wrapped up in marriage. Now they’ve come apart, freeing each of us to put together the life that suits us best.

The Good Life in the 21st Century: Living Single

In the stories we are told, living a good life means marrying and having kids. In the ways we really live, the good life can be something else entirely.

National Singles Week: 20 Reasons Why We Need It

For the first time in 12 years, the Census Bureau has given short shrift to National Singles Week. Here are 20 reasons why we need our week-long celebration.

Singlism: How Serious Is It, Really?

Singlism shows up in every domain of life. The consequences can be devastating, even deadly. But it is rarely recognized, and often belittled when it is.

How People Who Live Alone Conquered Loneliness

Among those who live alone is a contented core of people who are not physically isolated, socially isolated, or lonely.

What If You Just Moved and You Realize It Was a Mistake?

What should you expect, psychologically, when you are moving and how can you avert the worst? Author, consultant, and coach Cathy Goodwin explains in this guest post.

Why Men Stay Single: What No One Is Talking About

A scholar thought he answered the question of why men stay single based solely on one vulgar, misogynistic thread on Reddit. He didn’t.

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