06 Nov When it comes to happiness, relationships are key. But of course you can be happy if you’re single…
via the Greater Good by James McConchie
Significant changes have been taking place within the institution of marriage over the last couple of decades. People are getting married later. More people are actively choosing not to get married. It is more common for people to have children without getting married.
But how is this affecting our well-being?
To start to examine that question, a recent study in Applied Research in Quality of Life compared the behaviors and the happiness of married and unmarried people. It found that unmarried people have a unique advantage: They are more active socially, which means they’re sometimes even happier than their married counterparts.
Researcher Elyakim Kislev looked at surveys administered in 32 European countries between 2002 and 2016. People reported on their marital status, as well as their social capital—the amount of social activities and social interactions they engaged in. In the survey, social interactions included meeting socially with friends, relatives, or work colleagues. They also reported on how happy they were on a scale from 1 to 10.
Unsurprisingly, Kislev found that unmarried people—including those who are divorced, widowed, or never married—tend to have more social interactions with friends, relatives, and colleagues than married people.
He also found that the more social interactions people engage in, the happier they are—even more so for single people than married people…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE