The Consequences of Being Single

As a result of contemporary trends in marriage and divorce, the proportion of single adults has risen quite dramatically. Because of the number of unmarried adults (roughly 60 million in North America), it is increasingly necessary to assess the consequences of this supposedly solitary lifestyle.
A questionnaire study was conducted to compare the physical well- being, frequency of depressive symptoms, happiness, and life satis- faction of 517 single adults with a matched sample of 521 married adults. Contrary to the findings of most previous studies, the married respondents did not report better physical health than the single respondents. The married respondents were, however, signifi- cantly happier, less frequently depressed and more satisfied with their lives. Further analyses showed that social support was a better predictor of life satisfaction and depressive symptomatology than marital status per se.
But being married is still a factor in psychological well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction, at least insofar as the primary affectional bond provides the requisite social support. Other factors which contribute to the quality of single life were assessed and discussed.