Summary: Enduring singles exhibit specific character traits and perform worse on life satisfaction than those in long-term relationships. Using information from 77, 000 Germans aged 50+, researchers observed that longstanding songs are less extroverted, attentive, and open to new activities.
While one women report higher marriage satisfaction rates than single men, cultures with great marriage rates also have higher marriage satisfaction rates. The study emphasizes the value of individualized help systems and programs to combat loneliness and enhance the well-being of longtime songs.
Because older singles ‘ life satisfaction and temperament traits are important factors for determining health and longevity, programs that promote social relationships may be important.
Important Information:
- Personality Insights: Longstanding songs are less extroverted, honest, and open to knowledge compared to collaborated individuals.
- Higher relationship rates are related to low life satisfaction among longtime singles, despite the small impact.
- Gender &, Age Trends: One women report higher career happiness than single men, and older tunes tend to be happier than middle-aged songs.
Origin: APS
More people choose to remain solitary for life, despite the common practice of getting married or staying in a long-term connection. However, being single you have its advantages, both financially and medically, specifically as persons age and may become more dependent on other people.
New research , in , Psychological Science , reveals that profound singles have lower scores on life , satisfaction , measures and distinct personality traits compared to collaborated people, findings that point to the need for both good networks and ways to create quite networks that are stronger catered to single people.
” When there are variations, they might be especially important in older people who face more , health issues , and , economic dilemmas”, said Julia Stern, one of the lead authors and a senior researcher at the University of Bremen in Germany, in an interview with APS.
” They need more support, and the support is often the mate”.
Stern and colleagues compared single people and partnered individuals on life satisfaction ratings and the Big Five personality traits ( openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism ).
The study’s use of a survey of more than 77, 000 Europeans over the age of 50 was the first of its type to examine people who had lived alone their whole lives.
The results reveal that, in addition to lower living satisfaction scores, lifelong singles are less outgoing, less honest, and less open to encounter, compared to collaborated people.
Prior studies used various definitions of being single, sometimes drawing the line between having always married or, alternatively, having always lived with a partner.
But individuals who have been in a serious , relationship , in the past—even if it has ended—might have distinct personality traits than those who have never been that committed.
To investigate this, Gruff and colleagues grouped respondents by the various definitions: now partnered, not living with a partner, not married, or not being in any long-term relationship.
People who were single but had previously lived with a partner or had been married scored lower on extroversion, openness, and life satisfaction than those who were never in a serious long-term relationship. On these tests, no one in the current relationship scored higher than any singles.
Although this study cannot definitively decipher if personality differences are due to selection—people with certain personality types may be more likely to start relationships—or socialization—long-term relationships could change personalities—the evidence points to the former.
Stern claimed that personality changes from being in a relationship are minor and temporary. For instance, if an extroverted person starting a new relationship is eager to stay with their partner, eventually their extroversion comes back.
” It’s more likely you have these selection effects. For example, people who are more extroverted are more likely to enter a relationship”, Stern said.
However, she cautioned that the outcomes are generalizable and not necessarily representative of all people. Despite this, both introverts and single extroverts are involved in committed relationships.
For singles, living in a society where marriage is the expectation may affect their life satisfaction. The researchers were able to ask whether there were any cultural differences because the large sample included people from 27 different European nations.
Even in countries with higher marriage rates ( such as those in southern Europe ), singlehood had the same effect as singlehood, but the effects were minor. The religiosity of the country did not seem to matter, however.
When comparing across gender and age,  , single women , scored higher on life satisfaction than single men, and , older people , tended to be happier with their singlehood status than middle-aged singles.
According to Stern, older singles may accept their circumstances and be happier now that their peers are getting married and starting families are behind them.
Singles may become happier as they get older, but their lower scores in comparison to those of partnered people are still worrying. Previous research has highlighted the need to find ways to promote the well-being of older singles by highlighting the correlation between life satisfaction and specific personality traits ( including extroversion and conscientiousness ).
According to Stern,” there are differences between people who remain single their entire lives and those who become partners,”” for me, this means we have to take extra care of these people.”
She suggested creating novel programs to combat loneliness that take these personality traits into account 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”.
About this research on psychology and relationships
Author: Julia Stern
Source: APS
Contact: Julia Stern – APS
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
According to Julia Stern and al.,” Differences in Big Five Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction Between Lifelong Singles and Ever-Partnered Individuals.” Psychological Science
Abstract
Differences in Big Five Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction Between Lifelong Singles and Ever-Partnered Individuals
Being romantically partnered is widely accepted as societal norm, and it has been demonstrated to be inherently linked to important life outcomes, including physical and mental health. However, the percentage of singles is steadily increasing, with more people staying single for life.
We used the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe ( SHARE,  , N , = 77, 064, mainly ≥ 50 years, 27 countries ) to investigate Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction in lifelong singles compared with ever-partnered individuals.
Specification-curve analyses suggested that lifelong singles were less extraverted, less conscientious, less open to experiences ( dependent on singlehood definition ), and less satisfied with their lives.
Effects were stronger for never-partnered than for never-cohabitating or never-married individuals and were partly moderated by gender, age, country-level singlehood, and gender ratio.
Our study provides insights into the characteristics of lifelong singles and has implications for better understanding older people’s social support systems and mental health.
