Living Single

The truth about singles in our society.

Bella DePaulo Ph.D.

China’s “Leftover Women” and “Shake-and-Bake” Husbands

What it means to be single in China has changed dramatically. Here are 16 facts about single women and men, singlism, homophobia, marriage prospects, and marriage proposals.

7 Ways Romantic Partners Are Losing their Special Place

At a time when divisions and acrimony seem to dominate, is there a way in which are we opening our hearts to more different kinds of people than we have in decades?

Unearned Privilege: 1,000+ Laws Benefit Only Married People

Did you know that there are more than 1,000 federal laws that benefit and protect people who marry in the U.S.? Here’s a list of some of the most important ones.

Women Who Hid in Empty Graves to Avoid Marrying

Meet the women who would hide in graves, marry a dead man, or pay another woman to do wifely things so they could live their coveted single lives.

Discrimination Against Singles in the Health Care System

No spouse or romantic partner? If that has ever affected your health care, the author of a new book about living single, Joan DelFattore, wants to hear your story.

6 Reasons Why Psychology Is Your Secret Weapon

If you are a student of psychology, you have a lot to be proud of. Here are six ways your training in psychology serves you well—and other people, too.

10 Good Things Single People Do That Might Benefit You, Too

A marriage scholar tells married people that they will have a better marriage if they act more like single people. But how do single people act, and what do they value?

Feeling Awkward? 12 Reassuring Lessons From Science

Author Melissa Dahl wanted to rid herself of awkward feelings. She discovered that she was thinking about cringeworthy experiences in all the wrong ways.

Singles Value Freedom More and Get More Happiness Out of It

Unmarried people value expressive and individualistic experiences more than married people do. They also get more happiness out of their valuing of freedom and creativity.

Want to Live As Long As Possible? In New Study, Most Say No

Asked how long they wanted to live, people 60 and older from Germany, China, and the U.S. often said that staying reasonably healthy was more important than just living longer.

On Ellen, Saoirse Ronan Beautifully Resists Pressure to Date

In a clip viewed more than 8 million times, Ellen relentlessly pressured Saoirse Ronan to express an interest in dating. Saoirse resisted magnificently.

Better to Have Loved and Lost Than Never Have Loved at All?

A narrow version of Tennyson’s lines about love and loss has been tested in increasingly sophisticated ways. Here’s what the research shows.

Women Who Are Comfortably Single at Midlife

A small study of midlife single women shows how they come to reject the story that tells them they are deficient and instead live full and meaningful lives.

Meaningful Moments from Two Decades Studying Single People

A moment when the conversation about single people suddenly became more enlightened, and another moment that left me stunned and demoralized.

The Stories of 2017: Singles-Shaming Is So Last Year

Out in 2017: Stories shaming single people. In: Stories celebrating them, acknowledging their issues, and calling them badasses

Two Single Women Who Outlived Nearly Everyone in the World

Two single women outlived nearly everyone else in the world. Why did their stories seem to matter even more than scientific research documenting the longevity of single people?

How President Trump's Lies Are Different From Other People's

I thought Trump would be more self-serving in his lies than most other people. He was. But that wasn’t what stood out most about his ways of lying.

Are Women Harsher in Judging Single Women Than Single Men?

Are women especially judgmental and mean about single women, as the “catty women” caricature would suggest? Scientific studies provide a consistent answer.

Pure Solitude, Away From Devices, Is Calming: New Research

Four new studies show that pure solitude, away from electronic devices, is calming. They also help explain when time alone is and is not experienced as sad, lonely, or boring.

Difficult People Have a Place in Our Lives

A new study identifies the people in our lives who are most likely to be difficult and helps explain why they still have a place in our lives.

Think You’re Not a Virgin? Consider This

People with no romantic relationship experience often feel shame. They shouldn’t. In other times and places, they probably wouldn’t.

That’s So Aromantic!

Some people just aren’t into sex. Others just aren’t into romance. To understand what this means, we need to recognize four kinds of people.

Bromance Over Romance, Say Men in New Study

A study of 30 heterosexual university men found that they valued their bromances more than their romances in every way except one.

Teen Dating and Sex Hit Record Lows for Recent Decades

The authors think the path to adulthood is slowing. I think the story is bigger than that.

14 Signs That Someone Is Happy Being Single

Are you a confirmed bachelor? Here’s a serious set of answers, some of them based on research.

How Many Americans Want to Be Single? Results of 5 Studies

How many unmarried Americans want to be married? 5 studies suggest answers, but it will take a revolution to know for sure.

Beyond Self-Love: What Marrying Yourself is Really All About

I used to think marrying yourself was a bad idea because it borrows the wedding template. Now I think that template makes a statement about single people that needs to be heard.

A Positive Psychology of Single Life

How do single people thrive, despite all the singlism and matrimania? A chapter in a new book about positive psychology offers some answers.

The Emotional Life of Single People

For people who love living single and for people who really don’t, emotional life is complicated.

Why Divorced People Are Key to Understanding Marriage

A study of 10,000 Dutch adults looked at the health of married people to see if it had anything to do with who got divorced. Did it ever.

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