Life
Feeling a little bummed about being single on Valentine's Day? As much as the holiday can be about the love you have for your friends, your family, or yourself versus romantic love, sometimes it's hard not to get a little sad when you see flowers, chocolate hearts, and couples kissing everywhere you look. It's totally understandable.
Even if you love being single and you love V-Day, February 14 is still marketed as a day for couples, not singles, and it can be tough when the holiday rolls around. But wherever you stand on Valentine's Day, the most important thing is to remember that this one day does not determine your self-worth.
Happify, an app that improves emotional well-being through science-based activities and games, recently put together an awesome infographic focusing on the correlation between being single and happiness — highlighting some unknown benefits of being single, from higher job satisfaction to closer friends, how to make the most out of your singlehood, and when it's better to be single.
Check out some of the highlights and the full infographic below. After reading this, you might reconsider what you'd be giving up for that one chocolate heart a year.
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You May Love Your Job More
Research shows that following major life events, such as marriage, job satisfaction decreases, and this is seen on a greater scale for women. Focus on your goals and continuing to do work that fulfills you.
2
You're Not Alone
While in 1960, 72 percent of Americans over the age of 18 were already married, the Pew Research Center found that in 2014 the number had dropped to a balanced 50 percent.
3
You May Have Closer Friends
While the amount of friends you have doesn't seem to change whether you're married or not, the closeness of those friendships do. Focusing on men, a survey found 15 percent of married men had no close friends while only 11 percent of single men felt the same.
4
You Can Choose Happiness
We've all heard that helping others is the secret to happiness. Well, research has once again made a point of this. Try little things like paying for someone else's coffee or go bigger and volunteer for an organization that inspires you. The idea is to create a cycle of joy, and there's no better time than now to do it.
5
You've Built Relationships With Those Around You
Your parents, siblings, neighbors, even your favorite barista; these people each play important parts in your life. Single people are shown to have a greater chance of keeping in touch with those around them. As a result of this, you are also more likely to give and receive help to and from these people.
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You're More Concerned About Other Women's Wellbeing
When you're unmarried, research says you may tend to be more observant of women around you and how their lives are progressing. Their welfare becomes more of a concern to you. Looking out for the women around you may also create a sense of belonging and community within your life. Take the time to really get to know these women and build lasting bonds.
Remember, one out of 365 days in the year is not worth feeling down about. Focus on what makes every day good. For example, February 15, the day all the candy goes on sale.
Check out Happify's full infographic below.
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