How the ‘Solo’ Movement is Rewriting Misconceptions of ‘Sad, Lonely’ Single Life
(Link): How the ‘Solo’ Movement is Rewriting Misconceptions of ‘Sad, Lonely’ Single Life
The “solo” movement is quickly becoming popular, especially among women who are tired of being told they need to settle down.
Jan 19, 2022
By Joyann Jeffrey
It’s projected that 1 in 4 millennials will never tie the knot — and that’s absolutely OK. Recent studies show that getting married isn’t necessarily the key to happiness.
Single people tend to exercise more, have more friends and are more likely to volunteer in their communities than married folks.
That’s why Peter McGraw, a 51-year-old behavioral economist, started an online community known as (Link): the “solo” movement that celebrates single life and rewrites the misconception that “singles are sad and lonely.”
“Why is it that when you ask a married person, ‘Are you happy?’ and they say yes, you believe them,” he told TODAY’s Maria Shriver. “And then when someone asks a single person, ‘Are you happy?’ and they say yes, there’s still some doubt there? If someone says they’re happy, trust them — because there’s many ways to be happy in life.”
What is the “solo” movement?
This movement aims to enforce the notion that people can find happiness and fulfillment outside of marriage.
Whether they’re divorced, widowed, casually dating or are unattached, there are many benefits that a person can experience while being on their own.
However, McGraw says that there’s a very big difference to being single and being “solo.”
He also notes that the “solo” movement is not anti-marriage.
Why is being “solo” so great?
Although McGraw says that a single person can sometimes feel “embarrassed” and “incomplete” with where they are in their lives, he notes that “a solo person feels proud of where they are in their life. They don’t feel less than in any way.”
Why are people finding solace in the “solo” movement?
In the United States of America, nearly 50% of adults (which is well over 125 million people) are single. However, McGraw says that should not be cause for concern. He turned his movement into a (Link): popular podcast, which has amassed a following of mostly women.
“I definitely think there’s more of a stigma for women especially,” proud “solo” Simone Johnson told Shriver about the pressures women face to settle down and set themselves up financially.
…At age 29, Johnson noted that the dating game has changed immensely from when her parents were her age.
“More and more people in my generation are single, and we are entering this sort of new way of approaching relationships,” she said.
Related Posts:
(Link): Unmarried and Childless Women Are the Happiest, Happiness Expert Claims
(Link): Singlism: How Serious Is It, Really? by B. DePaulo
(Link): Really, It’s Okay To Be Single – In order to protect marriage, we should be careful not to denigrate singleness – by Peter Chin
(Link): Four in 10 Adults Between the Ages of 25 and 54 are Single, Up From 29% in 1990
(Link): Society Has It Wrong: Married People Shouldn’t Get Benefits That Single People do Not by V. Larson
(Link): What is a Platonic Life Partnership? These Couples are Breaking Societal Relationship Norms
(Link): Dear Prudence: Help! I’m Glad My Awful Husband Is Dead.
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