A new study has found that some single people are just as happy as those who are in a relationship because they fear relationship conflicts.
Yuthika Girme, study leader and a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and her colleagues surveyed more than 4,000 people from ages 18 to 94. Twenty percent were single during the study period, while the rest were in a relationship for an average of 22 years.
Initial analysis showed that those in a relationship were happier than those who were single. However, when the researchers decided to focus more on the responses of the single participants, they found that single people who don't like relationship conflicts or dramas are just as happy as those who have partners. And as expected, single people who are okay with relationship conflicts were less happy.
Those who said that they prefer being single claimed that being single removed some of the anxiety that they experience when they have a partner. This feeling of comfort won't be healthy in the long run because it could lead to more problems. Earlier studies have linked being single to lower life satisfaction and poorer physical and psychological health.
"While high avoidance goals may help people be happier when they are single, it can have negative effects in a relationship, contributing to anxiety, loneliness, lower life satisfaction, and an unhealthy focus on negative memories," Girme said in a press release.
The researchers believe that single people who seem to have a negative perspective about relationships could benefit from counseling so that they could look at the positive aspects of being in a romantic relationship.
"I think this study underscores the point that you can never say one-size-fits-all," James Maddux, a senior scholar at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. who is not involved in the study, told HealthDay News.
"There are many paths to happiness. You can change," he added.
To date, there are more single people than those who are in a relationship, and the number continues to rise as many are filing for divorce, becoming single parents, and prioritizing career over marriage. Fifty-one percent, or 128 million, U.S. adults are single.
The study was published in the Aug. 19 issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
