22 People Explain How Being Single Could Actually Make You Happier and Healthier

Single life is usually portrayed by the media as lonely and undesirable. But science says otherwise — 75% of people who are not in a relationship actually feel that they have more freedom to pursue their goals and interests. And another study found that health and fitness tend to decline after marriage, as unattached people exercise more compared to those who have tied the knot.

To support these findings, Bright Side found 22 individuals who spoke from their own experiences and shared why choosing to be single is not really a bad thing.

• “Freedom. You can be gross, travel, spend money on anything, decorate, eat anything, basically just be completely selfish to whatever degree you like.” © ItsColeOnReddit / Reddit

• “You can make dinner for 2 and then eat the whole thing.” © biryanieveryday / Reddit

• “I love being able to make any decision I want without consulting someone else and making sure they’re on board.” © StrangerAlarming1421 / Reddit

• “I really love having my own space. I don’t feel guilty about spending too much time at work or at the gym. There’s no one making fun of the TV shows I want to watch. There’s no pee on the base of my toilet.” © somethingsuccinct / Reddit

• “No longer being forced to hang out with their friends” © Rude_Attorney_9428 / Reddit

• “Not having to think about how your actions affect your partner.” © Normalizesteroidz / Reddit

• “No obligation. I do not miss being dragged into things I have zero interest in. The expectation to always be on their side, no matter their actions. I called out an ex for being a hypocrite, and they got pissed at me. Do I WANT to be single? Not really. Would I rather be single than be with someone I have little in common with? Yes.” © DefinitelyN0tAtWork / Reddit

• “I’m not going to cheat on myself and leave myself emotionally devastated. Also, if I have to make settlements with myself, I just get all my own money.” © Miss-Indie-Cisive / Reddit

• “You don’t have to share your food with someone that said that they didn’t want anything.” © thei****scouch / Reddit

• “Everything. Literally, every minute of my day is mine, every decision is mine, every dollar goes to what I want, and the house and property are all mine. Nobody grabs the remote, challenges my decision, or questions me about where I am, who I’m with, or when I’m coming home. All me, all the time. No kids either, it’s wonderful!” © Lilfrieda / Reddit

• “Not having to deal with someone else’s drama or problems, and I always know where my stuff is because I’m the one that put it there.” © Stoic_Scientist / Reddit

• “I have more room for my cats.” © Octs***r / Reddit

• “You can be as beautiful or as ugly as your heart desires without guilt or judgement.” © anonymousb***y665 / Reddit

• “Focusing on self-improvement. When I’m in a relationship, I always put the relationship first and end up neglecting myself. Sometimes being single is hard, but then I remember that I have so much more freedom to just be myself than I would if I was paired up.” © Psychological_Air455 / Reddit

• “Freedom to focus on your friends and family. At this point in my life, I’m trying to focus on moving back to my hometown to be close to friends and family. If I met someone that didn’t want to live there, or lived overseas, it would be a massive issue.” © bystander_syndrome / Reddit

• “I don’t have to constantly rewind the same episode over and over again because she decided to fall asleep.” © brianthewizard1 / Reddit

• “Having energy. Relationships consume insane amounts of time and energy. Being single gives you a chance to freely focus on what you want, when you want.” © theenigmaticorator / Reddit

• “Not having to worry about being hurt. I have terrible trust issues, so at least that’s not something I’m stressing over at the moment.” © Sirens_to_silence / Reddit

• “No compromises. You have the final veto on any personal decision.” © CheeseburgerBrown / Reddit

• “The best part of being single is that you get to be you! Relationships can turn you into something you’re not, as illogical as that sounds. Being single gets you back to ’you’ real quick, and it’s much easier to achieve personal growth when you’re single.” © beauricker / Reddit

What other advantages of having no strings attached can you add to this list? For those who are in a relationship, what do you miss most about your single life?