Question

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

Comments

This is more of a preference rather than a fact. Everyone can have different styles and opinions, so there isn’t a way to tell if people are happier single unless everyone single feels the same way.

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This claim is mostly rooted in biased opinion. The BuzzFeed article uses Shani Silver as an example for someone who realized they could be happy and single at the same time. It is true, you can be happy while you're single but it's all about personal preference. I found an article by Psychology Today that gave multiple different examples on how to be happy while single, which I think could be helpful for people who feel like they need a partner to live happily. I would say this claim is misleading. It should be encouraged that people learn to be single and happy, but if someone thought a partner would make them happy, that's their decision to make.
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-angry-therapist/202402/how-to-be-happy-being-single?msockid=0db5e7c7e9996eee0cb5f2c5e8236fcc

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While I can see how someone may believe that this claim is true, it's important to remember that everything in our lives is based off of lived experience, and from my perspective it seems like this person may have been in a relationship with someone who they were unable to be their authentic self with, and maybe that is the reason they're making this claim. There is also no research to back up this claim. There was never any statistics for this or any reputible sources that I could find.

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I don't agree. I think that single people may believe that they are happier and believe that they are living a more authentic life, except for most single people, they haven't experienced a real relationship before. An individual may feel more "free" or "independent" being single, but coming from experience, once you have found the right person to be in an romantic relationship with, you start to feel something different. I wouldn't disagree that single people are happy, they do have freedom and essentially less responsibility. However, I believe that being in a relationship and having someone that you can share everything with and be your true self around, brings someone a different kind of happiness. In many ways, a better happiness.

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In my opinion, this is a claim that you can't really "fact-check". While yes, you can claim that being single can lead to being happier, you can do the same for people who are in a relationship/not single. While the article does explain that in today's modern era, being single leads to "greater happiness", is still suggestive. No matter how many people you interview and how many people claim to be happier single, you can and will still find people who are happier not being single. Happiness is suggestive from person to person, one study with a handful of happy single people is nowhere near enough to make this a proper claim. It's like if I were to ask 10 UO students if they all like pizza, and they said yes. Then I went onto make a claim stating, "the students at the University of Oregon all like pizza". When in reality that is farthest from the truth.

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

Answer 5

When looking at this statement there really is no way to tell if it is true or false.  Everyone experiences life differently and one thing won't work for everyone.  When reading through the article it does provide some statistics trying to support the claim saying "A 2019 analysis of US Census data shows that about 40% of adults between ages 25 and 54 were unpartnered (neither married nor living with a partner). That’s up from 29% in 1990.  For some, it’s a choice. For others, singlehood is something they fall into through the death of a partner or a breakup. Divorce is more acceptable now than in decades past and women in particular have more educational and career opportunities that allow them to thrive solo. More people are opting for a child-free existence, and even if they want kids, they may have the financial means and social support to do so without a partner."  So, while the article does provide some context on why it can be good for people, you can't definitively say that everyone will be happier being single.

Answer 6

This claim can be more of an opinion than a fact. Everyone is different and thinks differently from one another, such as how someone prefers their companionship, relationship expectations, and connections. Someone could find the perfect person who matches all those reasons and more, and another person could spend forever trying to find just one good quality in a person and never find it, which makes it likely they will be happier alone. As stated in the article above, "Some people believe a romantic relationship is essential for their happiness and well-being, while others find fulfillment and satisfaction without a partner." This can, again rather, be proven as an opinion than a fact. Everyone is different, and there is no real factual evidence showing- "people who are single are happier."

Answer 7

This article doesn't provide the correct kind of concrete evidence to back up its claim. The only data it presents is US Census data on the percentage of adults between the ages of 25 and 54 who are single, and data on the difficulties that come with relationships. It also include quotes from people on their feeling about the subject, but this is all opinion and not enough to base this claim in fact. The article doesn't do enough to get away from the inherent subjectivity of the claim, which is why I can neither grade it as true or false. If they provided data on the happiness of people in relationships vs those not in relationships, maybe the claim could be supported.

Answer 8

I think that this article dosent have enough evidence or polls too determine that being single actually makes you happier.  based upon what I read there are no facts that not dating somone can actually be better for your mental health besides each individuals personal opinion. I found that phycology today stated that being in a relationship is a preference as to if you enjoy it or not.

Answer 9

This is very subjective since they are just giving an opinion on why single are happy and not single thing about the views of married couples or any other romantic relationship are in this article. Also homosexuals or lesbians and any other person the LGBTQ+ community aren't married is because there are certain religions that refuses to let those types of couples get married in their buildings historically now that has changed. But they do have evidence that there are a lot single people or aren't in a relationship and are doing fine. But there is a Time Magazine article about this topic and I would say it's better. But I am single, I really don't care about relationship but as a journalist I have to be subjective and fair. If the author of this article would have talked with someone that has the opposite perspective then it would've a good article and at a truthful one. This article is basically an opinion.

Time Article

https://time.com/6255111/single-people-happy-healthy/

Answer 10

Buzzfeed is not a very accurate news source. Also, the only way for this to be measured would be through sociological data. This article is not based in sociological data, therefore acting more as an opinion. Therefore, this cannot be true or false. In the end, you must find happiness on your path.

https://goop.com/wellness/relationships/single-at-heart/?srsltid=AfmBOooMDBt2HliqQor0g7cCQPCXxzJVYyAQHJXI7RaqqbnNcQlxkei2