It turns out that married people are actually happier.
While nine in 10 Americans get married or enter a serious relationship at some point in their lives, more adults than ever are choosing to remain single long-term.
Although some research suggests that singles are just as happy as their partnered peers, a new study found that those who are in relationships may still have the advantage.
Experts in Germany surveyed more than 77,000 adults over 50 and compared what psychologists have called their big five personality traits.
These include extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
The team found that people who had never been in a serious relationship were less “satisfied” overall than those who were in a relationship, as well as people who are currently single but had previously been in a relationship.
Singles were also less outgoing and open than married or partnered adults.
The findings come amid a spate of recent research suggesting that single people are more likely to become depressed than those who have a partner to lean on, and a growing number of people are marrying later or not at all. , which could be fueling the decline in the fertility rate in the United States.
Researchers in Germany found that single people are less satisfied with life than people in serious relationships (file image)
Julia Stern, author of the study and lead researcher at the University of Bremen, Germany, said: “There are differences between people who remain single throughout their lives and those who are in a relationship, and to me this means that we have to be especially careful with these people.’
In the study, published last month in the journal Psychological ScienceResearchers interviewed 77,064 adults over age 50 from 28 countries. The majority (57 percent) of participants were women and almost two-thirds were retired.
Nearly nine in 10 adults studied were parents, and the average age was 68 years old.
Of these participants, almost 5,000 (six percent) had never been married, 3,000 (four percent) had never lived with a partner, and 2,400 (three percent) had never been in a serious long-term relationship.
The researchers asked participants to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being “completely dissatisfied” and 10 being “completely satisfied.”
Long-time singles were found to be less outgoing, less conscientious, and less open to experience than those currently in a relationship.
This group also said they were less satisfied with life in general compared to those who had been in a relationship in the past or are currently in a relationship.
However, single women had higher life satisfaction scores than single men.
Additionally, older singles said they were happier being single than their middle-aged single peers.
The team said this could be because older singles have passed the period in life when all their friends and family are getting married and starting families, making them less prone to jealousy.
Stern also noted that personality changes resulting from relationships can be temporary. For example, an extrovert dating an introvert is more likely to adopt their partner’s personality at first before their extraversion returns.
The team said it’s unclear why singles may be less satisfied.
However, recent research suggests that being in a relationship creates a better support system and that couples are better off financially than single people.
Stern said: “When there are differences, they could be especially important in older people who face more health and financial problems.”
“They need more help, and the help usually comes from the partner.”