Long-term singles experience sharper decline in life satisfaction and well-being

More and more young adults abstain from entering committed romantic relationships, and this may be affecting their well-being. A new study conducted at the University of Zurich shows that long-term singles experience a sharper decline in life satisfaction over time and feel lonelier and more depressed – especially in their late twenties.

Media increasingly portray being single as an expression of people's lifestyle, self-determination and empowerment, with expressions such as self-partnership, solo living, sologamy and singlehood dominating the discourse. At the same time, more and more young adults are opting not to engage in a committed romantic relationship. A research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has now investigated how being single long-term affects people's well-being. The researchers drew on data from more than 17,000 young people in Germany and the United Kingdom who had no prior relationship experience at the start of the study. Participants were surveyed annually from the ages of 16 to 29.

Longer singlehood: male, educated – and less satisfied

The team led by Michael Krämer, a senior researcher at UZH's Department of Psychology, examined which young adults are more likely to remain single for longer periods. The analysis shows that men, people with higher levels 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 single for longer.

"Our results demonstrate that both socio-demographic factors such as education and psychological characteristics such as current well-being help predict who will enter into a romantic relationship and who won't. The findings, which indicate a link between a stronger educational focus and postponing committed relationships, also align with previous sociological research," says Michael Krämer, who co-led the study.

Long-term singles increasingly lonely

In addition, the researchers investigated how life satisfaction, loneliness and levels of depression develop across emerging adulthood among consistent singles compared with people who partnered up later on.

The study suggests that over time, young adults who remain single over an extended period experience a greater decline in life satisfaction and increasing feelings of loneliness. These well-being deficits become more pronounced when people are in their late twenties, which is also when symptoms of depression rise. Overall, similar patterns were observed among men and women.

First romantic relationship has positive effect

The research team then examined how young people's first romantic relationship influences their well-being over time. As soon as young people entered their first partnership, their well-being improved across several dimensions: they reported higher life satisfaction and felt less lonely – both in the short term and in the long term. No such effect was observed, however, with regard to depressive symptoms.

Overall, our findings show that remaining single for a prolonged period in young adulthood is associated with moderate risks to well-being."

Michael Krämer, senior researcher at UZH's Department of Psychology

While long-term singles and those who entered a romantic relationship later differed very little during adolescence, these differences increased significantly the longer singlehood lasted. "This suggests that entering a first relationship may become more difficult when people are in their late twenties – especially since lower well-being also increases the likelihood of remaining single for longer," Krämer adds.