Ties that bind, places that matter: The life satisfaction gap between partnered and single individuals varies across regions
Journal
Psychological Science
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Abstract (De)
People in romantic relationships often report higher life satisfaction than single individuals. We propose that this life satisfaction gap reflects, in part, alignment with the prevailing norm of being in a relationship. In a preregistered study with a large-scale dataset (N = 382,078 across 379 regions in Great Britain), we replicated prior findings: partnered (vs. singles) individuals reported higher life satisfaction. Notably, this life satisfaction gap varied by region, being larger in regions with higher relationship rates and smaller in regions with lower relationship rates. This effect persisted after controlling for various confounds, passed robustness checks, and replicated at a smaller scale across 218 London neighborhoods. Together, our findings emphasize the importance of situating relationship experiences within their geographic contexts, offering new insights into where and why differences in life satisfaction between partnered and single individuals emerge.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Subject(s)
Division(s)