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Being single can sometimes be overwhelming, especially during this holiday season. Family reunions can lead to multiple awkward questions and add mental load to single people. This situation has a name, “single-bilities” or “single responsibilities”.
The holiday season can be tricky for singles. If some succumb to the “snow-globing” effect, a phenomenon which consists of forming a couple so as not to spend Christmas and New Year’s Day alone, others assume their celibacy to the end. At the risk sometimes that this loving loneliness turns into a burden, and therefore into “single-bilities”.
Single bilities: what are they?
These “single-bilities”, which could literally be translated as “single responsibilities”, can be suffered all year round, but their effects are multiplied as the end of the year celebrations approach. Indeed, the mental and financial burden associated with this time of year rests entirely on one person. No spouse who could help with chores or split the bill for gifts.
According to a survey* carried out by the dating site Happn, of single people aged 25 to 36, 62% of respondents believe that “singlehood strongly harms their well-being and their personal fulfillment”. This love situation would be the first psychological weight factor. A feeling confirmed by a YouGov** study for DOMITYS which specifies that 76% of single people felt lonely in the year 2022. A weight that is all the heavier since 58% of 25-36 year olds almost never mention this mental overload with their loved ones.
“Still not in a relationship?”
This feeling can be exacerbated around Christmas time. Family meals can be a dreaded moment for singles who know that their romantic situation will be the center of conversation and indiscretion. According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Happn, 45% of singles dread the question “Still not in a relationship?”. To avoid any awkwardness, you can favor “small talking”, namely unifying subjects, such as the weather, pets, etc.
*Happn survey conducted among 1,648 French people aged 25 to 36 on the happn application in October 2022.
**This survey was conducted online (CAWI, computer assisted Web Interview) from the panel of YouGov France respondents (460,000 people in France who agreed to answer surveys for YouGov) in November 2022.