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Many past studies have revealed that being single often results in unhappiness and loneliness, while having a spouse or lover causes fulfillment. However, researchers have recently discovered that people not in a romantic relationship can also have happy and satisfying lives, by avoiding potential conflicts and disagreements.
Lead researcher Yuthika Girme is a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Her team's study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Some people want to avoid relationship conflicts. Thus, they are equally happy whether they are in a relationship or single.
The study included over 4,000 residents, according to Business Standard. They were between the ages of 18 to 94 years old, and had an average of long-term relationships that lasted 22 years. Also, one in five of the participants were single when the study was conducted.
All the volunteers had "avoidance social goals," and did anything possible to escape conflicts and disagreements in relationships. Staying single can prevent such people from becoming anxious in the drama of relationship clashes.
On the other hand, the study discovered that the opposite was true for volunteers with low avoidance goals who were indifferent about the rollercoaster ride of relationships. They were less satisfied living the single lifestyle.
High avoidance goals can keep people optimistic while they are single. However, it can cause negative effects when they have a spouse or lover, resulting in feelings of anxiousness, loneliness, and dissatisfaction with life.
Society's rates of single people are steadily increasing. That is due to factors such as divorce rates, single parenting, and prioritizing of careers over marriage.
Other studies have examined the benefits of staying single. They include better relationships with their friends and relatives.
Girme explained that having higher approach goals is ideal for people while they are involved in a relationship. However, they suffer the most emotional pain while they are single.
Senior scholar James Maddux at George Washington University in Virginia explained that romance is just one of several factor of general contentment. Genetics in particular can greatly impact people's personality traits, and whether they feel that life is good or bad, according to Chicago Tribune.
