Emotional Wellbeing and Life Satisfaction of Singles and Mated People Across 12 Nations

Abstract

The increasing occurrence of singlehood raises the question of whether people enjoy greater emotional wellbeing alone or in an intimate relationship. Guided by an evolutionary theoretical framework of human emotions, the current research aimed to address whether individuals are emotionally better off single than in an intimate relationship, taking a cross-cultural perspective. The quality of the relationship is also crucial; thus, the study also aimed to determine whether individuals in a good or bad intimate relationship differ from each other and from those who are single in terms of emotional wellbeing. In a sample of 6338 participants from 12 nations, we found that singles experienced lower emotional wellbeing and life satisfaction than those in relationships. More specifically, participants who were in a relationship or married reported the highest life satisfaction and emotional wellbeing, while those involuntarily single reported the lowest levels, with individuals who are between relationships or voluntarily single reporting intermediate levels. Additionally, participants in a good relationship experienced higher emotional wellbeing and life satisfaction than those in a bad relationship. The findings among the involuntarily single participants were similarly negative, but to a lesser extent than those in a bad relationship. These results were consistent across the different nations in our sample.