We all know that being single has its pros and cons. Anyone who has ever found themselves without a significant other can tell you this. Being single means we are free to do whatever we choose without having to answer to someone, but it also means feeling lonely. If you think being single has just as many good and bad aspects as being in a relationship, think again. Single people face a lot more difficulties than people who are married or in relationships. Take a look at some of the many downsides to remaining single:
- People are more likely to die from being single than being obese. We know that it can sometimes feel like the universe is conspiring against you when you’re single. Well, that might actually be the case… Studies have shown that bad social connections and loneliness can increase a person’s chance of early death by 50%, while obesity only increases that risk by 30%. What’s even more jarring is that another study found 70% of people over 50 admitted to feeling lonely — and that their friends and family would be surprised to learn of this. If nearly three-quarters of us feel the same way, and it’s so detrimental to our health, we really need to do something to fix this.
- Single people are three times more likely to die during heart surgery. Talk about heartache! People who are single are also 71% more likely to die in the 5 years following heart surgery. And even though they’re not more likely to get sick, single people do report feeling worse when sick than married people. Look, if you’re already sick, do you really need to feel worse? If you need heart surgery, do you really need more complications? It might be time to rethink your single lifestyle, not just your diet.
- Single women can pay as much as a million dollars more than married women over the course of a lifetime. Now this is just outrageous! There are more than 1,000 laws in the United States that overtly benefit married couples, either legally or financially. Insurances policies (whether health, car, home, or life) tend to cost more on average for unmarried individuals. Between filing taxes, receiving social security income, the cost of healthcare, IRAs, and housing, single women can end up paying over a million dollars during their lives. That’s a high price to pay for not being married. Our only two options are to either fight the government to restructure its laws to more fairly treat singles or to put ourselves on the dating market as soon as possible. If you ask us, trying online dating sounds a lot more enjoyable than paying a million dollars. Think of what you could spend that money on!
You might have thought the only problems of being single were occasionally feeling lonely and missing having someone to cuddle with. But it can actually stand in your way of living a long, happy, healthy life. Who wants that?!