{"id":592011,"date":"2026-09-06T14:50:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T14:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/592011\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T14:50:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T14:50:44","slug":"new-study-reveals-a-major-perk-of-being-single","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/592011\/","title":{"rendered":"New study reveals a major perk of being single"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psychologists have extensively studied self-expansion, or the idea that people are wired to want to develop new perspectives, abilities and identities throughout life. Much of that existing research has focused on romantic relationships, with findings showing that a partner can introduce you to new people, interests and ideas.<\/p>\n

Researchers set out to see how this concept may apply to single people, in particular. \u201cThe lived experiences of single people are understudied despite the rising numbers of folks who are delaying romantic relationships and choosing to remain single instead,\u201d Moreno said.<\/p>\n

Across three studies, the researchers measured how strongly single participants believed their relationship status offered them opportunities for expansion and examined how those beliefs affected their experiences and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what they found: people with stronger beliefs in singlehood\u2019s potential for growth engaged in more self-expanding activities, from hiking and trying new restaurants to learning skills and playing sports. Those beliefs were also linked to greater satisfaction with singlehood and life overall, less fear of being single and stronger feelings of autonomy, competence and connection to others.<\/p>\n

But single people weren\u2019t always engaging in these enriching experiences by themselves. Up to 82% relied on friends and family to join them in these moments of self-expansion \u2013 no romantic relationship required.<\/p>\n

Why mindset matters<\/p>\n

Generally, how you look at a situation can influence how you respond to it. \u201cSo much of what we experience and perceive in daily life is influenced by our mindset,\u201d Moreno said. But there\u2019s some nuance to that idea when it comes to this study\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n

People who already had higher self-esteem and felt happier about being single were more likely to view singlehood as an opportunity for expansion. Similarly, those who were more anxious about remaining single or felt a romantic relationship was necessary for their happiness were less likely to see that potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe important variable may not simply be whether someone is single, but what being single means to that person,\u201d said psychologist Avigail Lev, director of Bay Area CBT Center, who was not involved in this research.<\/p>\n

In the third study, the researchers asked participants to imagine specific scenarios meant to encourage them to see singlehood as an opportunity for growth. They found that this did little to change people\u2019s preconceptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough people reported engaging in more self-expanding activities and positive mood after our intervention, we were not able to increase people\u2019s singlehood self-expansion potential scores,\u201d Girme said. \u201cThis was surprising and highlights that shifting people\u2019s overall mindsets about singlehood may be more challenging than anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other research on singlehood points in a similar direction. One study of lifelong singles found that those who chose to remain single viewed their relationship status as a source of autonomy and self-fulfilment, while those who felt forced into that choice expressed more regret. Another study on young adults found that those who attributed being single to self-enhancing motivations or a lack of interest in relationships reported greater well-being than those who reported \u201cself-defeating\u201d reasons.<\/p>\n

\"OneOne study of lifelong singles found that those who chose to remain single viewed their relationship status as a source of autonomy and self-fulfilment, while those who felt forced into that choice expressed more regret. Photo \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

That distinction is important, said Mandolin Moody, an associate therapist at Gateway to Solutions in New York City who was not part of this research. Singlehood can create room to explore interests and identities independently, but that doesn\u2019t mean everyone experiences it positively, particularly when being single isn\u2019t what they want.<\/p>\n

The study series has a few limitations: most participants were young adults, Girme said. People in this group may have more time or social permission to prioritise exploration than older adults who may be juggling more responsibilities. More research is needed to determine whether the findings apply across different stages of life.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the well-being boost from solo self-expanding activities \u2013 such as an increase in life satisfaction and strong feelings of autonomy and competence \u2013 was short-lived. \u201cThe research showed that benefits were largely limited to same-day associations rather than indicating prolonged benefits,\u201d Moody said.<\/p>\n

How to make singlehood more expansive<\/p>\n

Self-expansion doesn\u2019t require booking an expensive bucket-list holiday, for instance. Trying a new hiking trail, sampling a cuisine that\u2019s new to you or joining a pickup pickleball game can count, Girme clarified. What matters is allowing yourself to try something new and step outside your usual routines. Consider the following tips:<\/p>\n

Try something new.\u00a0Take an online class, pick up a new hobby or start learning about new subjects you\u2019ve always been curious about.Get to know yourself better.\u00a0Journaling can create space to reflect on what interests you and what you\u2019re learning about yourself. \u201cTherapy can be a great resource for enhancing self-discovery and for evaluating belief systems that may be impacting your self-esteem or personal singlehood self-expansion potential,\u201d Moody said.Find new communities.\u00a0Look for opportunities to meet people who share your interests, whether that\u2019s through a recreational sports team, book club, sewing circle or community garden. Moody recommends staying consistent and open-minded as you build connections outside of romantic ones.Travel solo.\u00a0\u201cSolo travel is known to be a great opportunity for self-expansion, as it fosters the full exercise of personal freedom, decision-making, self-reliance and socialising outside of your usual environment,\u201d Moody said.<\/p>\n

Think of being single as an opportunity to focus more of your time and energy inward, Moody added.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the goal isn\u2019t to decide whether being single or partnered is better than the other, Lev said. \u201cIt\u2019s to stop treating singlehood as a state that must be escaped. When we approach it as an opportunity rather than a deficiency, we gain the freedom to use it for exploration, connection and growth, and to become more intentional about who we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Psychologists have extensively studied self-expansion, or the idea that people are wired to want to develop new perspectives,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":592012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1558,682,1052,122534,12070,8608,156,2550,134,7055,661,636,1885,117,111,139,69,1118,291628,2849,1518,1517,58218,291630,383,30947,1361,291629,102],"class_list":["post-592011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-been","tag-being","tag-benefits","tag-boon","tag-certain","tag-comes","tag-entertainment","tag-even","tag-health","tag-linked","tag-major","tag-marriage","tag-mental","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-perk","tag-physical","tag-research","tag-reveals","tag-single","tag-singlehood","tag-study","tag-suggests","tag-that","tag-wellstudied","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}