More and more young adults are refraining from entering into committed romantic relationships, and this can affect their well-being. A new study conducted at the University of Zurich shows that long-term singles experience a sharp decline in life satisfaction over time and feel lonelier and more depressed – especially in their late twenties.
The media increasingly presents being single as an expression of lifestyle, self-determination and human empowerment, with expressions such as self-employment, solo living, sologamy and singleness dominating the discourse. At the same time, more and more young adults are choosing not to be involved in a committed romantic relationship. A research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has now investigated how long-term singleness affects people’s well-being. The researchers drew on data from more than 17,000 young people in Germany and the UK who had no previous relationship experience at the start of the study. Participants were interviewed annually from the ages of 16 to 29.
Longer celibacy: male, educated – and less satisfied
The team led by Michael Krämer, senior researcher at UZH’s Department of Psychology, looked at which young adults are more likely to remain single for longer. The analysis shows that men, people with a higher level of education and those whose current well-being is lower, as well as people who live alone or with a parent, are on average more likely to remain alone for longer.
“Our results demonstrate that both sociodemographic factors, such as education, and psychological characteristics, such as current well-being, help predict who will and who will not be romantically involved. The findings, which indicate a link between a stronger educational focus and the postponement of committed relationships, are also in line with previous sociological research,” says Michael Krämer, co-leader of the study.
Long-term singles getting lonelier
In addition, the researchers investigated how life satisfaction, loneliness, and depression levels develop during emerging adulthood among stable bachelors compared to those who partnered later.
The study shows that over time, young adults who remain single for a long time experience a greater decrease in life satisfaction and increased feelings of loneliness. These well-being deficits become more pronounced when people are in their twenties, which is also when symptoms of depression increase. Overall, similar patterns were observed between men and women.
The first romantic relationship has a positive effect
The research team then looked at how young people’s first romantic relationship affects their well-being over time. Once young people entered their first partnership, their well-being improved in several dimensions: they reported higher life satisfaction and felt less lonely – both in the short and long term. However, no such effect was observed for depressive symptoms.
Taken together, our findings suggest that being single for a prolonged period in young adulthood is associated with moderate risks to well-being.”
Michael Krämer, senior researcher at the UZH Department of Psychology
While long-term singles and those who later became romantically involved differed very little during adolescence, these differences increased significantly over the duration of single life. “This suggests that entering a first relationship may become more difficult when people are in their twenties – especially since lower well-being also increases the likelihood of staying single longer,” adds Krämer.
