Wanting a person and having a full life are not opposites.
Honest writing about being single: friends, fatigue, breakups, and wanting someone without settling.
Pick up where you left offQuestions we answer
Worth reading elsewhere
Full reading list →Single at 30American Psychological Association (Speaking of Psychology)
Living a happy single life, with Geoff MacDonald, PhD (opens apa.org)A psychologist who studies singlehood explains what separates satisfied singles from unhappy ones.
Post-breakup lonelinessGreater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley
Eight Ways to Ease the Pain of Loneliness (opens greatergood.berkeley.edu)Practical, research-informed things to do when the quiet after a breakup gets heavy.
Wanting a personNPR (Life Kit)
There's pressure to be partnered. Here's how to enjoy single life (opens npr.org)Holds both truths at once: you can want a partner and still build a life you like right now.
How we work
- Sourced. Every claim links to the research or data behind it.
- Dated. Each article shows when it was written and last updated.
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- Honest about limits. We say what the research does not show. Editorial standards
Tool: the 8-question pattern check
Eight questions about the last few people you dated. You get one of nine pattern cards. It runs in your browser and nothing is saved.