Happy without a partner: long-term study finds most singles stay satisfied

Living without a steady partner for a long time does not automatically mean being unhappy. That is the conclusion of a long-term study by Elaine Hoan (University of Toronto), Geoff MacDonald and Matthew D. Johnson published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin; the science site PsyPost reported on it on 11 October. It draws on data from the German Family Panel: 2,930 adults who, between 2009 and 2021, were never married and had no committed partner in any of the eleven annual surveys. Three cohorts were studied, with starting ages of around 18, 26 and 36.

In each cohort, about 90 percent of respondents stayed above the midpoint of the life-satisfaction scale for all eleven years. Among the younger groups, those who started lower caught up over time. About two-thirds of the youngest were consistently highly satisfied with being single; in the two older groups the shares were around 30 and 37 percent, while about 12 and 18 percent remained dissatisfied. Around 47 percent of young adults reported a strong desire for a partner. People who were more extraverted, less neurotic, better educated and in full-time work fared best – according to Hoan a sign that higher socioeconomic status is an important part of a thriving single life.

The authors point to limitations: the study is observational and cannot establish causes. The data come only from Germany, and the oldest participants were in their late forties when it ended. People with brief flings also counted as single, and in the oldest cohort only 14 percent of the original group met the strict criteria. An earlier analysis of the same data, which assumed one average path for everyone, had suggested declining satisfaction. The report gives no information on funding.