Psychology Says People With These 3 Personality Traits Are More Likely To Stay Single Forever
Research suggests there could be correlation between someone's personality and their relationship status.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock Singleness seems to be on the rise in the United States. Statista reported that 62.18 million Americans were married in 2023. This is in contrast to the 117.6 million single Americans reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why so many people are choosing to live their lives independently remains a mystery. What has been studied, however, are the personality traits that these singletons possess. In a new study entitled “Differences Between Lifelong Singles and Ever-Partnered Individuals in Big Five Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction,” published in Psychological Science, researchers aimed to discover what people who are single have in common.
According to psychology, people with these three personality traits are more likely to stay single forever:
Study authors said, “We used data from SHARE, a large, representative panel study currently involving more than 140,000 respondents from 28 countries (27 European countries and Israel).” According to The Big Think, researchers focused on the “big five” personality traits and found that three of them were less present among those who remained single: extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness.
1. Less extraversion
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An article published in the journal Interventions for Addiction stated, “Extraversion refers to the tendency to focus on gratification obtained from outside the self.” It is, of course, the opposite of introversion.
It makes sense that this would be the case for lifelong singletons. Those with a stronger focus on what is inside themselves would be considered less extroverted and, in some cases, introverted. This can be a challenge when dating, VeryWell Mind said. An introverted desire to avoid social settings or interactions with others can be alternatively perceived as disinterest in one’s partner or apathy towards typical dating activities.
Possessing less extraversion does mean looking outside of yourself a bit less, which would make cultivating a relationship difficult. If you’re more introverted, it’s quite possible that you’re less likely to seek out relationships and, therefore, remain single.
2. Less openness
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Having less openness is somewhat similar to less extraversion. If you are naturally closed off, it makes it harder to meet new people and accept them into your life. As The Big Think put it, “Extraverted and open individuals are more likely to get out, meet people, and potentially find themselves in a relationship.”
Healthline pointed out that severe cases of being closed off can even lead to becoming emotionally unavailable, something that is detrimental to relationships.
“Not everyone likes to talk about emotions all the time, but in a relationship, it’s important to connect on an emotional level,” Healthline stated. “If your partner can’t open up, even when you initiate a conversation and ask direct questions, they may be emotionally unavailable.”
3. Less conscientiousness
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Being conscientious can mean being “meticulous,” according to Merriam-Webster, or “governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience.” It comes down to being aware of your actions and the effect they have.
This, for pretty obvious reasons, would work well in a relationship. Indeed, The Big Think described it as a “prized” quality. If you are conscientious, you are more likely to be in tune with your partner’s needs and feelings and have a general awareness of how you’re affecting those things.
Writing for Psychology Today, Dr. Jessica Koehler said, “Donnellan, Conger, and Bryant (2004) found that higher conscientiousness in one or both partners is associated with greater relationship satisfaction and lower levels of conflict.”
These personality traits are common for those who remain single throughout their lives.
While it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly why someone would remain single, as everyone has their own personal reasons, there does seem to be some connection between these three personality traits and staying single forever.
However, it’s important to remember that no situation is one-size-fits-all. Some people with these traits may be in perfectly healthy relationships, and some who are single may not fit this mold at all.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.