9 New Findings About the Lives of Never-Partnered People
A new study investigated the psychological well-being of never-partnered people.
Posted February 27, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
Even though being in a committed relationship or marriage is still a societal norm in many cultures today, the number of single people has been increasing in many countries over the last few decades. The association between being single and psychological well-being is complicated and influenced by several factors. For example, someone who leaves a relationship that they were profoundly unhappy in may feel much better once they are single again. In contrast, someone who is single and unhappily in love with another person who does not have any romantic interest in them may be profoundly unhappy about being single.
Two factors that may play a role in whether being single makes someone unhappy are their age and how long they have been single. A young person that just left an unhappy relationship may be happy to enjoy their freedom, but someone who has been single for more than 3 years despite wanting a partner may be unhappy. One group of singles that has so far not been investigated very well in psychological research is never-partnered people who have been single all their lives.
A new study on life satisfaction, loneliness, and depression in people that never had a partner in their lives
A new study, just published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , focused on getting a better understanding of how being consistently single affects psychological well-being ( Krämer and co-workers, 2026 ). In the article, entitled “Life satisfaction, loneliness , and depressivity in consistently single young adults in Germany and the United Kingdom”, the research team, led by scientist Michael D. Krämer from the University of Zürich in Switzerland, analyzed data from 17,390 volunteers from the United Kingdom and Germany. At the time of first data collection, all volunteers had never had a partner in their lives. At the time of first data collection, all volunteers were around 16 or 17 years old. The volunteers were then invited for further data collection until they were 29 years old. They filled out several questionnaires about their psychological well-being, loneliness, life satisfaction, feelings of depression , and information about themselves and their relationships.
Results of the study: 9 key insights
Here are the main insights about never-partnered people that were gained from the study:
Taken together, the findings of the study showed that never-partnered people have, on average, lower psychological well-being than people in relationships, particularly if they stay single into their later 20s. They show different psychological patterns from people who were in relationships and became single by choice, and more psychological research on this group needs to be conducted.
Facebook image: Ilona Kozhevnikova/Shutterstock
Krämer, M. D., Stern, J., Buchinger, L., MacDonald, G., & Bleidorn, W. (2026). Life satisfaction, loneliness, and depressivity in consistently single young adults in Germany and the United Kingdom. Journal of personality and social psychology , 10.1037/pspp0000595. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000595
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Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D., is a professor for research methods in psychology at the Department of Psychology at MSH Medical School in Hamburg, Germany. His research focuses on left-handedness and brain asymmetries.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.