Whether you’re happily on your own or desperate for love, you might wonder why you haven’t yet met your perfect match.
Now, a study has revealed the main factors contributing to remaining single – and it’s bad news for those who went to university.
A team from the University of Zurich recruited more than 17,000 people from the UK and Germany for their study.
The participants were aged 16 at the start of the study and had no prior relationship experience.
They were surveyed annually up until the age of 29 with questions aimed at capturing their characteristics, attributes and sociodemographic factors.
Analysis revealed that those who were likely to remain single for longer included people with higher levels of education.
Living with parents was also linked with a higher likelihood of remaining single, as well as people who were unhappier. Men also appeared to stay single for longer, the study found.
‘Our results demonstrate that both socio–demographic factors such as education, and psychological characteristics such as current well–being, help predict who will enter into a romantic relationship and who won’t,’ co–lead author Michael Krämer said.
Analysis revealed that those who were likely to remain single for longer included people with higher levels of education (file image)
The team also found that living alone was associated with a higher chance of remaining single – indicating that living with friends or flatmates might provide the best chance of finding a partner.
For the next part of their study they investigated how life satisfaction, loneliness and levels of depression developed among consistent singles compared to those who partnered up.
They found that young adults who remain single over an extended period experienced a greater decline in life satisfaction and increasing feelings of loneliness.
These feelings became more pronounced in their late 20s – which is when symptoms of depression also began to rise.
Similar patterns were observed among men and women, the researchers said.
However, as soon as young people entered their first relationship, their wellbeing improved.
‘Overall, our findings show that remaining single for a prolonged period in young adulthood is associated with moderate risks to well–being,’ Dr Krämer said.
While long–term singles and those who entered a romantic relationship differed very little during adolescence, these differences increased significantly the longer singlehood lasted.
Living with parents was also linked with a higher likelihood of remaining single, the researchers found (file image)
‘This suggests that entering a first relationship may become more difficult when people are in their late 20s – especially since lower well–being also increases the likelihood of remaining single for longer,’ Dr Krämer added.
Writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the researchers said: ‘Young adults with lower well–being, male gender, higher education, and living alone or with parents stayed single longer.’
A recent study revealed that single people who want children actually prefer older–looking partners.
The findings completely rewrite the idea that broody individuals are more drawn to youthful looks, experts said.
And it means that being in your 30s or 40s might give you an edge over fresh–faced love rivals – at least if you’re keen to have kids.
The experts found this attraction to older–looking individuals was not linked to their perceived wealth or ability to be a parent. Instead, it could be that older individuals appear more psychologically stable or ‘ready’ for children.
