Our changing needs, values, and demographics have catapulted friendship into a central place in our lives — In the US and other places around the world, marriage and children have been touted as the keys to fulfillment. Friends are often dismissed as “just friends” and work is something we do to pay the bills, or, if we’re lucky, to make a lot of money. Just released research…

Saying you know why someone is single — is it ever a compliment? — In a letter to Amy Dickinson, who writes the “Ask Amy” advice column, a reader asked this: Recently I complimented a woman after her 60th birthday by saying, “You look good for 60.” She grunted, “What is 60 supposed to look like?” Where did I go wrong? — Bewildered Bachelor …

Let’s give friends the recognition, affection, and respect they deserve. Here’s how. — Friends deserve a special place in our lives. In the U.S., for example, they are important because our families have never been smaller than they are now, because fewer people are marrying, and those who do marry are getting to it later in life than they once did. And rates…

Practical changes and more enlightened understandings are needed to keep up with the rise of solo living — “More Baby Boomers are living alone,” declared CNN, in a story that was immediately picked up by many other media. It’s not just Boomers. In the past half-century or so, solo living has become a demographic juggernaut. According to a United Nations report, around the world, 1-person households are now…

We discuss everything about single life except dating or trying to unsingle ourselves — Eight years ago, in July of 2015, I started an online Facebook group, the Community of Single People, for people who want to discuss every aspect of living single except dating or trying to unsingle themselves. We talk about all sorts of things — our joys and accomplishments, our challenges…

People living alone are often doing so by choice — A few days ago, an article was published in The Hill and republished over and over again in many places around the web. Titled “A record share of Americans is living alone,” the story quoted me several times, starting with this: ““Living alone can be a dream come true,” said…

To “promote our freedom” and “become cognizant of our great fortune as singles,” a pioneering figure wrote a singles manifesto — As a single person who cares very much about the place of single people in society, I look longingly at other groups that have mounted successful social movements. Where is our Singles Pride movement? It turns out that there was such a thing in the US in the 1970s. A…

Romantic coupling as key to a good life? The Single at Heart reject that — Emotional and psychological freedom, in one of the most profound senses, means that you get to live your best life — the life you find most authentic, most meaningful, and most fulfilling. That’s hard to do if the life that feels most authentic to you is at odds with the…

It is risky to look to one person for all your emotional needs, research shows — One and done. That’s how some people think about their relationships. Find “The One” and now your relationship challenges have been mastered. In your spouse, you have the person who fulfills all of your wishes and needs, especially your emotional needs. You have the person who cheers you up when…