Question

People who are single are happier because they are living their most authentic lives without having to worry about someone else.

Comments

Reading this article did resonate with me personally due to my opinionated belief in that I am less consumed and essentially "happier" that I am single. However, there is no definite way to confirm that this theory is fully truthful. The idea that single life generates happiness is objective and based on personal experiences. Although it is typical or common for relationships in this day to be 'toxic' or 'unhealthy' there are some that aren't that way. The article did state facts that support the said claim. Including statistics such as the "40% of adults between ages 25 and 54" are un partnered. This data does help prove the point credible however there are too many variables to claim this as a fact.

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I'm a bit skeptical of this claim, as I feel like it is something that is more of a personal opinion than a research-fueled claim. While some may be happier single, I know others that thrive more in relationships, as they need the connection and closeness a relationship provides. I do not think that there will ever be a solid way to "prove" that single people are happier than those in relationships, and vice versa. While the article did provide evidence that supports the claim that single people are happier, such as "40% of adults between ages 25 and 54 were unpartnered... up from 29% in 1990." I feel that there are far too many variables to be able to soundly state that, yes, single people are in fact happier. Especially, as I stated earlier, every person functions differently and is fulfilled by differing things in life; therefore, while some may feel more free when single, others are at their happiest when they are in a relationship. Relationships also fall on a spectrum, one's happiness being single may be a result of the level of unhealthiness in their last relationship, those who are happy in a relationship may be in a very healthy relationship. All-in-all, this claim is simply too broad, and has far too many factors and moving parts for it to ever be proved as true or false.

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I think that this claim is more opinion based and you can't really fact-check it. happiness levels vary depending on personal preferences, relationship quality, and individual circumstances. Some single people may be happier due to greater autonomy, while others may find fulfillment in a loving partnership.

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This claim is far too subjective and opinion based. There is no true way to solidly prove that being single results in higher levels of happiness. One could very easily make the opposite claim and have plenty of people in relationships say that they are happier than they would be if they were single. The claim is far too broad and reliant on too many variables.

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I agree, I think that you worded this comment very well. I like the part where you said that it varies on the person because I also thought that this claim was very general and not true to many people.

Answer 1

The article talks about how both the single life and the married life can be beneficial for an individual, even having claims like married people are less likely to survive a fight with cancer. But this isn't and argument you can prove with numbers, this is only the matter of the individual and their opinion, and I believe while happiness can be found on both sides of the fence, they are different kinds of happiness that suit people differently based on the person.

Answer 2

In terms of psychological research, the answer is shaky. Some studies support the idea, and some disprove of it. I think that ultimately, this statement can't really be called a FACT, because its subjective in principal, and anyone who is in a couple could be unhappy or happy, and psychological studies have failed to see a pattern in relationship status and emotions that is concrete one way or the other:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9523881/

There is plenty of evidence both for and against this, but the statement in isolation isn't a fact, its an opinion.

Answer 3

I don’t think being single necessarily makes you happier. If anything that would be a personal opinion. In fact theres evidence that shows the exact opposite.

One Of the sources i found comes from the article “love and the brain, do partnerships really make us happy?”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/love-and-the-brain-do-partnerships-really-make-us-happy-heres-what-the-science-says/

Answer 4

In Buzzfeed's article "Actually, Some People Are Happier (And Healthier) Being Single", author Katie Camero presents the claim that single adults in the US are generally more happy than adults who are coupled up. However, the title of this article, as well as the article itself, is misleading. Mrs. Camero uses quotes from people who wrote to Buzzfeed, detailing how much happier they are being single. However, this evidence seems anecdotal at best, as these are merely the opinions of a few people. She also cites various therapists and psychoanalysts, who make claims such as “Single people are actually more sociable than married ones, and growingly so in past few decades”. However, there are no sources linked to these claims besides the people that are saying them. In actuality, a paper published by researchers at the Simon Fraser University in Canada, who aggregated results from 58 studies conducted across the world, illustrated that single adults report lower life satisfaction and subjective well-being compared to adults in relationships. Therefore, it is safe to say that the author of this Buzzfeed article did not research the claim of her article very well before she wrote it. 

Sources Used:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19485506211030102