Singlesein ist kein statischer Zustand, sondern eine sich entwickelnde persönliche Reise. Während jüngere Erwachsene tendenziell weniger zufrieden sind, zeigen einige ältere Erwachsene mit unerfüllten Wünschen Anzeichen einer Anpassung. Frauen, die eine Beziehung wollten, zeigten einen kleinen, aber statistisch signifikanten Rückgang der Zufriedenheit, nicht jedoch Männer.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pere.70038

From the linked article:

**Singlehood isn’t a static state but an evolving personal journey**, new findings suggest

A new longitudinal study published in Personal Relationships offers a closer look at how romantic relationship desire shapes long-term singles’ satisfaction with being single. The findings suggest satisfaction levels shift in ways that depend on age and birth cohort. **While younger adults tend to become less satisfied, some older adults with unfulfilled desire show signs of adapting**. The study highlights the complex and evolving nature of singlehood, pointing to the need to view it as a personal experience that changes across the life course.

Singlehood is becoming more common, especially in societies that emphasize personal freedom, career development, and autonomy. While some individuals embrace being single and derive satisfaction from it, others struggle with it, particularly when they want a romantic partner but remain unpartnered. Past research has shown that single people who wish to be in a relationship are often less satisfied with their singlehood, but most of this work has been based on one-time surveys.

When examining sex differences, Hoen and her colleagues found no significant overall difference between men and women in either relationship desire or singlehood satisfaction. However, when looking at trends over time, **women who wanted a relationship showed a small but statistically significant decline in satisfaction, while men with similar desires did not show the same drop**. This suggests that unfulfilled relationship desire may weigh more heavily on women, possibly due to societal expectations around partnering and family life.