Why some people prefer to stay single according to science – Wel.nl

There are about 3 million single people in the Netherlands. Never before have there been so many. A fair number of them consist of older women whose partners have died, but there is also a large percentage who consciously choose to live a single life. Researchers investigated the reasons for this.

From an evolutionary perspective, it's strange for people to be celibate, according to evolutionary psychologist Menelaus Apostolou. “Having an intimate partner is of paramount evolutionary importance, because people who do not have one will not have offspring.”

More than 250 men and about 380 women participated in the study, with an average age of 36 years. They answered questions about their current and past relationships. One in five single people was single by choice. One in four was due to bad relationship experiences from the past. 60% said they had other priorities, and 17% cited other reasons.

“Participants who had a negative experience in the past were more likely to be single currently. Participants who had more positive experiences were less likely to be single. The message is that having a negative experience in a relationship can discourage some from getting into a relationship.” New relationships,” she says.