People who have been single all their lives might score low on life satisfaction and possess personality traits different from those partnered, such as being less extraverted, less conscientious and less open to new experiences, according to a new research.
Researchers, including those at the University of Bremen, Germany, surveyed over 77,000 people aged 50 years or above across 27 European countries. The study is the first of its kind to look across cultures and at people who have been single their entire lives, the researchers said.
Impact of singlehood on personality
The team found that people who had never been in a serious long-term relationship scored lower on extraversion, openness and life satisfaction as compared to those currently single but having lived with a partner or been married in the past. All singles scored lower on these measures as compared to people in relationships, the researchers said.
“Analyses suggested that lifelong singles were less extraverted, less conscientious, less open to experiences and less satisfied with their lives,” the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Psychological Science. The findings pointed to the need for helpful networks and ways to create such networks better catered to single people.
“When there are differences, they might be especially important in elderly people who face more health issues and financial issues. They need more help, and the help is usually the partner,” said Julia Stern, lead author and senior researcher at the University of Bremen. The researchers said that previous studies have used varied definitions of being single with some considering only the current status and others drawing the line at having never married or lived with a partner.
Need for supportive networks for lifelong singles
However, people who have been in a serious relationship in the past — even if it has ended — might have different personality traits than those who have never been that committed, they said. While the study could not definitively decipher if personality differences are due to selection — people having certain personality types may be more likely to enter into relationships — or socialisation (in which long-term relationships could change personalities), the researchers said the evidence pointed to the former.
“It’s more likely that you have these selection effects. For example, people who are more extraverted are more likely to enter a relationship,” she said. Further, singlehood in a society where marriage is the expectation could worsen life satisfaction. The researchers found this in countries with higher marriage rates, such as southern European countries.
Single women, however, were found to score higher on life satisfaction as compared to single men while older people tended to be happier with their singlehood than middle-aged people. “There are differences between people who stay single their entire lives and people who get partnered, and for me, this means that we have to take extra care of these people,” Stern said.
She suggested developing new kinds of programmes to prevent loneliness that take these personality traits into consideration and help older singles meet like-minded people. “If they have people who care for them or look out for them regularly, this might help,” she said.