With all the “We’re engaged!” pics popping up on social media, it may seem like everyone you know is one half of a happy couple. But if you’re riding solo these days, you’re far from alone: A whopping 64% of Americans ages 18 to 29 reported being single in 2014, up from 52% in 2004, according to a Gallup poll. And for the first time in U.S. history, single people now outnumber married folks at any age.
Whether you’re consciously uncoupled, living it up as a single guy or girl or trying to find solace until you meet the right person, know there are serious health perks to the single life — both physical and mental.
see: 12 Tips for a Long and Healthy Life
1. You’re totally in charge of your happiness.
People in a relationship often assume their partner will take care of certain things, or they’ll figure out any issues together, says Wendy Wasson, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and founder of MySingleSpace, a site devoted to the happiness of single adults. Being single challenges people to be more responsible for their own well-being.
In fact, the stress of problematic partnerships is often from the misplaced expectations that you and your partner should be doing things to make the other happy, Wasson says. If you’re unattached, you avoid this trap.
SEE: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Looking for Love.
2. You may be more successful at work.
There are a lot of factors that go into how happy you are at work, but without a significant other, you’re freer to pursue your career choices without constraints, says psychologist Bella DePaulo, Ph.D., social scientist and author of “Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After.” You don’t have to take into account what your partner thinks you should do, what city he or she will be able to find work in, or whether you think the job you most want will pay enough for you to pull your financial weight in the relationship. Research even suggests singles may enjoy their 9-to-5 more since they value meaningful work more than married people do.
Of course, it can be dangerous to make yourself too available to your employer or co-workers (i.e. you stay late or work weekends just because you don’t have someone waiting for you at home), DePaulo points out. But having the flexibility to log long hours can certainly pay off if your goal is to move up the ladder fast.
3. You have a strong sense of self.
“As an adult, your goal is to be autonomous, or psychologically independent,” Hecker says. It’s what we often call our sense of self — your identity and your ability to empathize, love, share, control aggression and otherwise form healthy relationships, she explains.
“One of the risks of being in a close romantic relationship is that your sense of self can get merged with your partner’s, to the extent that you could lose sight of who you really are,” DePaulo says. This is less likely to happen to single people.
Savoring solitude and experiencing things unselfconsciously can teach you what defines you as a person and what brings you happiness. For those who are happier uncoupled, the benefit of this is obvious — you learn how to simply be happy for life. But for those who do want to be half of a whole, discovering this while you’re uncoupled can actually benefit your future relationship.
4. You’re more likely to be (and stay) in shape.
One Great Britain poll found that among the scarily high number of people not logging the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week, almost three quarters (73%) of them were married. Singles and divorcees were more active.
Why? Single people want to be in better shape to attract a potential mate, and they might be less likely to skip the gymto get home to make dinner together or trading your Saturday morning run for lazing around in bed with your sweetie. “Many single-at-heart people generally just take better care of themselves, including exercising a lot,” DePaulo adds.
SEE; 7 practical ways of reducing stress for Caregivers
5. You’re able to avoid feeling lonely.
“There’s no question that loneliness is a dangerous source of stress, but it’s an incorrect assumption that people in long-term romantic relationships aren’t lonely and single people, by default, are,” says Terri Trespicio, a writer, brand strategist and founder of online workshop Break-Up 911, for the newly single.
When you’re single and feel lonely, you typically turn to and invest in multiple someones (like friends and family), strengthening your support system and easing your loneliness.
6. You sleep more soundly.
Snuggling is great and all, but if your partner disturbs your sleep because of a sleep disorder, different bedtime or simply tossing and turning all night, it can seriously mess up your sleep. “People with obstructive sleep apnea can make a great deal of noise and are very restless, which can disturb their partner,” says Steven Scharf M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Maryland Sleep Disorders Center. There’s also periodic limb movement disorder (where one flails about in their sleep), REM behavior disorder (which includes “acting out” dreams), sleep walking, night terrors — the list goes on.
If you’re single, you aren’t forfeiting the endless health perks that come from eight solid hours a night.
SEE; 21 practical signs that you are ready for marriage
7. You can create your own routine.
Without a partner and the accompanying obligation to someone else’s schedule, you control your time — which means you can create a routine that works for you, Wasson says. And research shows that people with structured schedules — like consistent meal times, bedtimes and events — have a higher quality of life and higher chances of staving off mental illness. Go ahead and start that blog, take that photography class you’ve been wanting to try and keep up your weekly brunch dates with friends.
8. You’re more resilient.
Yep, you’re tough. Think about it: Singles are making their way and thriving in a society that values and celebrates coupled people, DePaulo says. Plus, regardless of how great your support network of friends and family, you’ve probably learned to handle stress on your own better than someone who has another half. In fact, the RAND Corporation, which has been studying military members wounded in 9/11, found that the wounded warriors who were single were less likely to have symptoms of PTSD, more successful at overcoming injury or illness and less likely to have emotional (i.e. depression) or physical (i.e. obesity) health problems compared to those who were married or divorced.
9. You have richer friendships.
We’ve all experienced it, either in our own relationships or those of a friend: Couples hang out more and more with each other, and less and less with other people. Turns out there’s actually a psychological term for it — dyadic withdrawal, says Gwendolyn Seidman, Ph.D, associate professor of psychology at Alright College in Pennsylvania.
Studies show singles are more attentive to their siblings, parents, friends and neighbors compared to married people, regardless of whether the couple just started dating or have been together for years.
Why should you care? Well, for starters, lacking social bonds is comparably as bad for your health as smoking, according to a study that found people with fewer close friends were 50% more likely to die within the seven and a half years after the study, regardless of age.
10. You stress less about money.
For women, being single could mean scoring a bigger paycheck. A 2010 analysis found that among unmarried, childless women under 30, there’s actually a reverse gender gap wherein these ladies are earning 8% more on average (but up to 20% more in certain cities!) than guys of the same group.
Being on your own financially means there are no surprises when it comes time to make a big purchase, get a loan, or apply for a credit card — and no guilt for whatever you decide to buy with your hard-earned cash (as long as it’s not your entire paycheck!).