New research sheds light on whether and how being single or in a relationship correlates with certain personality traits and, in turn, how these traits influence indicators of well-being such as life satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and contentment with one’s relationship status. The findings, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, indicate that individuals in relationship tend to be more extraverted and experience greater well-being compared to their single counterparts.
Despite previous studies suggesting that singles may fare worse on various well-being measures, emerging evidence indicates that the happiness gap between singles and those in relationships might be smaller or non-existent, especially among certain subgroups. This discrepancy led researchers to explore further, with a particular focus on how personality traits — central to an individual’s experience and behavior — might play a role in this dynamic.
“Existing research on singles’ happiness often shows that singles tend to be lower in life satisfaction than people in relationships – but, one key variable that has received relatively less attention in singlehood research is personality,” said study author Elaine Hoan, a PhD Student at the University of Toronto and member of the MacDonald Social Psychology Research Lab.
“Personality is one of the strongest predictors of well-being, so we thought understanding personality differences could help explain why singles might demonstrate lower happiness on average. There’s also a notion in the singlehood research area that singles tend to be more social than people in relationships. We wanted to test the validity of that notion by actually examining personality differences across singles and partnered people.”
The researchers specifically focused on the five-factor model (or Big Five model) of personality, which includes traits such as extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience, to determine if and how these traits influence well-being in the context of being single or in a relationship. Their study was conducted in two phases, each involving a comprehensive online survey distributed to participants recruited through Prolific, a platform known for academic research studies.
Participants were required to meet specific eligibility criteria to ensure a clear distinction between relationship statuses. They had to be either single or in a relationship for a minimum of six months, aged between 20 and 59.
This led to the recruitment of 860 participants in the first sample, with a small percentage being excluded due to various reasons such as failing attention checks or not completing the study, resulting in a final count of 819 participants. A similar approach was taken for the second sample, with adjustments based on the initial findings, ultimately involving 992 participants after exclusions.
To measure the variables of interest, the researchers utilized the Big Five Inventory–2 (BFI-2), a 60-item scale. In addition to personality, the researchers assessed well-being through three key indicators: life satisfaction, measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale; sexual satisfaction, assessed with the Sexual Satisfaction Scale; and satisfaction with one’s relationship status, evaluated using the Satisfaction with Relationship Status Scale.
Hoan and her colleagues artnered individuals were more likely to exhibit higher levels of extraversion and conscientiousness and lower levels of neuroticism compared to singles. This pattern suggests that certain personality traits might be associated with the likelihood of being in a relationship, possibly due to how these traits influence social interaction, relationship maintenance, and emotional regulation.
For instance, the lower neuroticism observed in partnered individuals could suggest that lower levels of stress, anxiety, and emotional instability might contribute to more stable and satisfying relationships. Similarly, higher conscientiousness among those in relationships might indicate the role of goal-oriented behavior and reliability in sustaining partnerships.
The higher extraversion among partnered individuals could reflect the social nature of relationships, as extraverted individuals are often more outgoing and may find it easier to form and maintain romantic connections.
“Introversion could make it harder to get into relationships, perhaps because introverts may not find themselves in social situations as often as extraverts – making it more difficult to meet a romantic partner for those who want a relationship,” Hoan told PsyPost.
The findings clash with common perceptions of single life.
“The notion that singles tend to be more social is echoed in popular media depictions of singles such as in shows like ‘Sex and the City’ or the ‘Trainwreck’ movie, where singles are portrayed as extraverted party animals who partake in hook-up culture,” Hoan said. “And so, these findings counter not only ideas within the singlehood research area, but general caricatures of singles as well.”
In terms of well-being, the researchers found that singles reported lower levels of life satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and satisfaction with their relationship status compared to those in relationships. “Extraverts are typically much happier in general! So this finding helps to partly explain why singles are, on average, lower in life satisfaction,” Hoan said.
Interestingly, the impact of neuroticism on satisfaction with relationship status differed markedly between singles and partnered individuals. For singles, higher levels of neuroticism were significantly associated with lower satisfaction with their relationship status. In contrast, this association was not observed among those in relationships, indicating that the detrimental effects of neuroticism on well-being might be more pronounced for singles.
However, it’s important to note that the observed differences in well-being could not be fully explained by personality traits alone. Even after accounting for variations in extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, relationship status continued to explain a significant portion of the variance in well-being outcomes. This indicates that other factors beyond personality may contribute to the well-being disparities between singles and those in relationships.
As with any study, the research includes limitations, such as its cross-sectional design, which restricts the ability to infer causality. The focus on long-term singles and partnered individuals also limits generalizability to those in the early stages of singlehood or relationships.
“Our sample included more long-term singles or partnered people (i.e., those who were single/partnered for at least 6 months) to ensure we weren’t including people whose relationship status was unclear,” Hoan noted. “We can’t say for certain how personality differences might emerge for singles who have recently experienced a break-up.”
The study opens several avenues for future research, suggesting a closer examination of the causal relationships between personality, relationship status, and well-being, and the exploration of within-group variability among singles and partnered individuals. Additionally, cultural differences in these dynamics warrant further investigation to understand the global applicability of these findings.
“We hope to continue testing these findings in other contexts, such as longitudinally, as well as in conjunction with demographic variables like age, gender, and how long people have been single or partnered for,” Hoan told PsyPost. “Ultimately, given that personality is a powerful predictor of well-being and life outcomes, I hope to continue integrating personality to understand who singlehood or relationships is most suitable for.”
The study, “Personality and Well-Being Across and Within Relationship Status,” was authored by Elaine Hoan and Geoff MacDonald.
