Do you know someone who’s perpetually single, and seems to be always happy? They may be onto something. According to Bella DePaulo a psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, staying unattached could be an effective way to “embrace solitude and benefit from it.”
Although here findings have been dismissed by parts of the “shrink” community, she seems to have enough evidence to back her smack up.
Social – Single people have stronger and expanding friendships and social bonds, whereas the married and long-term-committed seem to have each other and the same set group of friends.
Fitness – Those who’ve “settled down” don’t take as active a roll in personal upkeep. After all, you’ve already got her…so what’s the point?
Alone Time – Cherishing the time alone gives a greater sense of independence, as well as “higher levels of creativity and intimacy.”
DePaulo admits that there’s still a ton of research that needs to be done - plus, you have to weed out all those who are single because they’re genuinely nuts or have an addiction to owning cats – but it’s worth a look. What we do know? Saying that single people are all just “miserable, lonely…and want nothing more than to be un-single” is just a total myth, too.
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