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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nYoung Americans are increasingly not entering into romantic relationships \u2013 a reality that researchers now warn could be harmful for their health. <\/p>\n
The number of Gen Zers \u2013\u00a0those born between 1997 and 2012 \u2013\u00a0reporting they had been in a relationship at any point as a teen was 20 percent lower than Gen Xers and 22 percent lower than Baby Boomers, according to a 2023 poll from the Survey Center on American Life, and a 2025 study from the American Institute for Boys and Men found that more than 40 percent of Gen Z men reported having no relationship experience as teens last year. <\/p>\n
In fact, a recent national survey of 20,000 people deemed Gen Z the \u201cloneliest generation,\u201d besting even Millennials.<\/p>\n
Now, a new analysis of more than 17,000 teens and young adults in Germany and the United Kingdom shows anyone who remains single over an extended period experiences increasing feelings of loneliness and a greater decline in life satisfaction.<\/p>\n
The deficits to well-being also tick up during peoples\u2019 late twenties, a time when symptoms of depression rise, researchers at Switzerland\u2019s University of Zurich said in a release.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>People who remain single for an extended period experience increasing feelings of loneliness, European researchers say (AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cOverall, our findings show that remaining single for a prolonged period in young adulthood is associated with moderate risks to well-being,\u201d Michael Kr\u00e4mer, a senior researcher, explained. <\/p>\n
The education problem<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The researchers looked at the responses of people between the ages of 16 and 29 years old. <\/p>\n
The examination showed that men, people with higher levels of education, people whose current well-being is lower and people who live alone or with a parent are more likely to remain single for longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur results demonstrate that both socio-demographic factors such as education and psychological characteristics such as current well-being help predict who will enter into a romantic relationship and who won\u2019t,\u201d Kr\u00e4mer said. <\/p>\n
He noted that the results support previous research regarding a link between focusing on education and postponing committed relationships.<\/p>\n
Meet cute<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The researchers also discovered the importance of a first relationship for young people. <\/p>\n
Respondents who entered their first partnership reported a higher life satisfaction and feeling less lonely. <\/p>\n
This was true in both the shorter and longer term. But, the longer people wait to enter a first relationship, the longer being single lasted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis suggests that entering a first relationship may become more difficult when people are in their late 20s \u2013 especially since lower well-being also increases the likelihood of remaining single for longer,\u201d Kr\u00e4mer said.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\n
open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Loneliness has been tied to life-threatening health concerns (AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
The issue with loneliness<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The negative health effects of loneliness have been widely researched, and there\u2019s no shortage of concerns. <\/p>\n
For one, loneliness raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leaving people at risk for vascular, immune system and heart problems, according to the Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n
Other health risks associated with loneliness include high blood pressure, dementia, diabetes, stroke, suicide and premature death.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the effect stress has on the body and loneliness is extremely stressful,\u201d psychologist Dr. Adam Borland told the clinic. \u201cIf we\u2019re experiencing loneliness, we don\u2019t necessarily take care of ourselves the way we should. And that can lead to health issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Young Americans are increasingly not entering into romantic relationships \u2013 a reality that researchers now warn could be harmful for their health. The number of Gen Zers \u2013\u00a0those born between 1997 and 2012 \u2013\u00a0reporting they had been in a relationship at any point as a teen was 20 percent lower than Gen Xers and 22 percent lower than Baby Boomers, according to a 2023 poll from the Survey Center on American Life, and a 2025 study from the American Institute for Boys and Men found that more than 40 percent of Gen Z men reported having no relationship experience as teens last year. In fact, a recent national survey of 20,000 people deemed Gen Z the \u201cloneliest generation,\u201d besting even Millennials. Now, a new analysis of more than 17,000 teens and young adults in Germany and the United Kingdom shows anyone who remains single over an extended period experiences increasing feelings of loneliness and a greater decline in life satisfaction. The deficits to well-being also tick up during peoples\u2019 late twenties, a time when sympt…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}