Are couples always happier? New study finds bad relationships may be emotionally worse than being single
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Are couples always happier? New study finds bad relationships may be emotionally worse than being single")
New study proves being single beats a bad relationship Photograph: (Pexels)
The findings, published in the 2026 edition of the journal Personality and Individual Differences, challenge the long-standing assumption that being in a relationship is automatically better than being alone.
For decades, romantic partnership has been presented as a social milestone closely tied to happiness and emotional stability. Yet a major new study suggests that remaining single may be far healthier psychologically than staying in an unhappy relationship. Researchers tracking more than 12,000 people over several years found that individuals reported greater emotional well-being when single than when trapped in poor- or even moderate-quality relationships.
The findings, published in the 2026 edition of the journal Personality and Individual Differences, challenge the long-standing assumption that being in a relationship is automatically better than being alone. Instead, researchers concluded that relationship quality, not relationship status itself, determines emotional health.
Tracking Happiness Across Thousands of Lives
The longitudinal study was led by Menelaos Apostolou of the University of Nicosia and Professor Elyakim Kislev of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and published by Phys.org. The researchers analysed 13 waves of data from the Pairfam study, a large representative survey involving around 12,000 participants in Germany. Their aim was to examine whether changes in relationship status directly influenced emotional well-being over time.
“What makes this study unique is that we followed participants over several years to see how their happiness shifted as their relationship status changed,” Prof Kislev explained. Although participants generally reported higher emotional well-being while in intimate relationships than when single, researchers found that relationship quality was the crucial factor.
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Why a Poor Relationship Can Be Worse Than Being Single
The study found that people in poor- or moderate-quality relationships consistently experienced lower life satisfaction and fewer positive emotions than those who were single.
“The results clearly indicate that it isn't simply about being coupled up,” said Prof Kislev, according to Phys.org. “The quality of the relationship is the deciding factor for our emotional health.” Researchers concluded that individuals in good-quality relationships recorded the highest emotional well-being overall. However, those in unhappy relationships experienced the lowest. The findings reinforce a growing body of psychological research suggesting that emotional strain, conflict and dissatisfaction inside relationships can create a measurable mental burden.
Men and Women Experience Singlehood Differently
The research also highlighted subtle gender differences. Men associated singlehood with slightly more negative emotions than women, although researchers described the difference as relatively small. Single women, meanwhile, reported feeling less secure than single men. Ultimately, the study argues that entering a fulfilling relationship improves emotional well-being, but settling for an unhealthy one can be more damaging than remaining single altogether.
