"Men and Highly Educated Individuals Tend to Stay Single Longer... Housing and Happiness Also Play a Role"

10-Year Study of 17,000 Young Adults in Germany and the UK
Life Satisfaction Rises, Loneliness Falls After First Romantic Relationship

A long-term study tracking over 17,000 young people aged 16 to 29 in Germany and the United Kingdom found that men, highly educated individuals, and those with lower current levels of happiness tend to remain single for longer on average. The study revealed that starting a first romantic relationship increases life satisfaction and reduces loneliness, but remaining without romantic experience for an extended period leads to increased symptoms of depression by the late twenties.

Image to aid understanding of the article. Pixabay

A research team from the University of Zurich published the results of their study on more than 17,000 young people in Germany and the United Kingdom in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology on January 13. All participants had no romantic experience at the start of the study and took part in annual surveys.

The researchers analyzed which factors influence the timing of young people's first romantic relationships. The results showed that men, highly educated individuals, those with lower current happiness, and those living alone or with their parents tended to remain single for longer periods on average.

Michael Kremer, Senior Researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich and lead author of the study, explained, "Not only social factors such as education level, but also psychological characteristics like current happiness can help predict the likelihood of starting a romantic relationship."

The research team also compared young people who remained single for extended periods with those who later entered relationships, examining changes in life satisfaction, loneliness, and depression. Over time, young people who had been single for longer experienced a significant decrease in life satisfaction and an increase in loneliness. These changes became more pronounced in the late twenties, with a concurrent rise in symptoms of depression. This trend was similar for both men and women.

In contrast, young people who started their first romantic relationship experienced an overall improvement in happiness. Their life satisfaction increased and loneliness decreased, with these effects persisting not only in the short term but also in the long term. However, there was no significant improvement observed in symptoms of depression.

The research team found that during the teenage years, there was little difference based on romantic experience, but as the period of being single lengthened, the gap in happiness and life satisfaction widened. Kremer stated, "It may become more difficult to start a first romantic relationship in the late twenties," adding, "The lower one's happiness, the greater the likelihood of remaining single."