To say women are happier when single may feel like a stretch, mainly because the world has tried to Bridget Jones the idea out of us with pyjamas, ice cream and weepy music. According to new research, however, it’s true; women are happier single because being in a relationship is hard work.
A study by Mintel found that 61% of women felt satisfied by singledom, whilst only 49% of men said the same. They were also less likely to have sought out a new relationship since their last one ended.
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Authors of the study put the results down to what being in a relationship is like for women versus men. Professor Emily Grundy, director of Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, explained that women often put in more effort. Or, at least, society expects them to. Pressures on their appearance, doing more chores and putting more effort into resolving relationship issues were all cited as causes of severe stress for women in relationships. Once single, those stresses go away.
Single women were also described as being more sociable than those in relationships. All those single girls’ nights out transform you into a beautiful, social butterfly, building friendships with pre-drinks and post-club Domino’s. Men, on the other hand, tend to depend on their female partners in social situations. Once single, they don’t put in the effort to compensate and, consequently, tend to have weaker support groups.
Grundy explained: ‘Women tend to be better at having alternative social networks and other confidantes whereas men tend to rely quite heavily on their wives for that and have fewer other social ties.’
‘There's a common finding from a lot of studies that women who don't have a partner tend to do more social activities and more friends compared to women with partners whereas with men it's the reverse – men without a partner tend to do much less of that. So it may be that women have a wider range of alternatives.’
The Bridget Jones-effect definitely doesn’t seem to be as relevant as it once was, with women preferring the independence and freedom single life offers. So, next time you lament your lack of a spooning partner, count your blessings (or your friends). Everyone knows that the friend breakups hurt more.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.