Singlehood Can Be a Path to Personal Growth

New research suggests that seeing singlehood as a chance for growth is linked with greater satisfaction, well-being, and less fear of being single.

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A 2026 study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin challenges the idea that singlehood is simply a waiting period before a relationship. Across three preregistered studies, researchers examined whether single people who viewed singlehood as an opportunity for personal growth actually experienced more growth and better well-being. In two diary studies, stronger beliefs about the growth potential of singlehood were linked with more self-expanding experiences, greater satisfaction with singlehood, stronger psychological need fulfillment, higher life satisfaction, and less fear of being single. The researchers also found that most reported growth experiences happened with friends or family rather than romantic partners, while a smaller share happened alone. An experiment found that imagining novel activities available during singlehood could increase immediate feelings of growth and positive mood, although it did not change deeper beliefs about singlehood. The findings do not show that being single is better than being partnered. Instead, they suggest that singlehood can provide meaningful opportunities for growth, especially when people recognize those opportunities.

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