{"id":109686,"date":"2026-01-15T14:56:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=109686"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:56:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:56:37","slug":"staying-single-longer-young-adults-wellbeing","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/staying-single-longer-young-adults-wellbeing\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Staying Single Really Empowering \u2014 or Is It Taking a Toll on Young Adults?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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374562 01: The cast of “Sex And The City” (“The Caste System” episode). From l-r: Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker. 1999 Paramount Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the past few years, being single has been reframed as a kind of modern flex. Social media celebrates \u201cself-partnership,\u201d solo living, and choosing independence over compromise. By the end of 2025, that narrative reached peak visibility, with viral TikToks asking \u2014 sometimes jokingly, sometimes pointedly \u2014 \u201cIs having a boyfriend embarrassing now?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

But while the cultural conversation has leaned toward autonomy and self-definition (which, we fully support by the way!), new psychological research suggests there may be a quieter, more complicated emotional reality unfolding beneath the trend \u2014 especially for young adults who remain single well into their late twenties.<\/p>\n

We were intrigued by this, so we dove into the research for you.<\/p>\n

What the Research Actually Looked At<\/h2>\n

A large, long-term study led by researchers at the University of Zurich<\/span><\/span> followed more than 17,000 young people in Germany and the U.K. over more than a decade. Participants were surveyed annually from their mid-teens through their late twenties, with a specific focus on individuals who had never<\/em> been in a romantic relationship at the start of the study.<\/p>\n

Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<\/span><\/span><\/a>, the research tracked how prolonged singlehood intersected with emotional well-being over time \u2014 looking at life satisfaction, loneliness, and depressive symptoms as young people moved through early adulthood.<\/p>\n

Who Is Most Likely to Stay Single Longer?<\/h2>\n

One of the study\u2019s more surprising findings is who<\/em> tends to remain single the longest.<\/p>\n

According to the data, young adults who stayed single into their late twenties were more likely to be:<\/p>\n