With growing numbers of single people, the assumption that everyone wants to be in a romantic relationship is falling away. So who are romantic relationships for? In this talk I will describe three perspectives on this question my lab has been exploring. First, I explore whether intrinsic motivation versus feelings of external pressure lead people to be more or less likely to go from being single to being partnered. Second, I explore what Big 5 personality characteristics are associated with being single versus partnered. Finally I explore whether the common finding that married people are happier than unmarried people holds outside of WEIRD countries, and if this can tell us something about the way that economic conditions encourage people to partner. Overall, the talk concludes that trends in increasing singlehood likely reflect people making rational choices about whether relationships actually make their lives better in the midst of changing social structures.
Geoff MacDonald is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. After growing up in Sarnia, Ontario he completed his Ph.D. at University of Waterloo and held a lectureship at University of Queensland before settling in Toronto. He is the former editor of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and a founding member of the International Singles Studies Association.
Recent Comments