Research Finding, Happy Events Have Priorities In Meeting Their Needs

Illustration of the priorities of happy singles according to research (Freepik/ArthurHidden)

YOGYAKARTA Many people think that single life will be lonely and unhappy. But research has found that happy singles do not depend on others to meet their daily needs. Other people, in this case, include family and friends to meet their relationship needs. What about sexual and romantic needs?

Launching David Ludden's explanation, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, as long as they can meet these needs without relying on others, they feel happiness.

Many people see the key to a happy life is to find a life partner to share. Around the world, people who partner in long-term relationships are considered a norm. In modern Western culture, people tend to seek their soulmate, one person to equip them, to make them intact. But even when people are satisfied with a simple match, there is still an assumption that they will be happier living with others than spending their lives without a partner and alone.

As University of Toronto psychologists Yoobin Park and movenas▁menyusun, marriage rates are decreasing worldwide and the average age of marriage is increasing. If we are happier as we get married, this suggests that there must be a lot of unhappy singles out there. However, one recent survey found that half of those who are not currently in a relationship don't even look for it. This suggests that at least some singles feel their lives are satisfactory enough so they don't feel the need for a long-term partner to share.

Then what makes a satisfying single life? Reported by Psychology Today, this is a question that Park andatus explored in a study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relations. Previous research has shown that active family relationships, friendship, and sex life are key to satisfying a single life.

In other words, happy singles find ways to meet their relational and sexual needs without relying on the soul mate. But what is still not understood, what are the relative priorities given by singles to be happy for each domain of life. In the research of Park and Sarjan, who used budget allocation techniques, found the three most important domains in low budget conditions, namely mental health, physical health, and family.

But in high budget conditions, this domain appears as a necessity, where respondents do not allocate more money for the three domains. On the other hand, free time, friendship, romance, and sex emerged as luxury. There are some differences in gender and age.

For example, men prioritize sex in low and high budget conditions, while women allocate more for their respective physical health and family relationships in low and high budget conditions. Likewise, older singles do not emphasize sex and romance and more on physical health.

More important differences arise between happy and unhappy singles. Unhappy singles budget more points for sex and romance than those who are happy. These findings are important because they highlight the previous findings that singles are happy as long as they are satisfied with their family relationships, friendship, and sex life.