filed in Myths and stereotypes
Here’s Another Study to Ignore
This latest study, as reported in the NY Times, makes the case that living alone can be bad for you. “Although living alone can offer conveniences and advantages for an individual,” the authors wrote, “physical health is not among them.” An article in USA Today referring to the study suggested to “partner up.” Gotta go. I’m about to partner with my martini.
Art by Mark Weaver
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19 comments for “Here’s Another Study to Ignore”
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So stupid. For some of us, living alone isn’t a choice…it’s by circumstances. I’m not going to settle on a life partner just to have a warm body in my house. I’m just fine alone with my pets and my social outings thankyouverymuch.
I can’t help but think that there was bias going into the study.
And this part is particularly stupid:
“Loneliness or living alone seemed to be particularly bad for middle-aged adults, compared with older people in the same situation. It may be that solitary middle-aged adults are more likely to engage in risky behaviors and less likely to seek medical treatment, whereas older people may pay more attention to their health” – ‘Seemed’? ‘may be’? I think there are a lot of assumptions and presuppositions, dare I say judgments, being made here about middle-aged single people. I am among the healthiest, most fit people of my age that I know, and am safe at home pretty much every night with my dogs. ‘Risky behavior’?! Come on!
I know…what “risky behavior?” It must be all the illicit drugs we singletons are doing with no one to babysit us.
Also…this study was completed by Brigham Young University. That institution has its own internal biases that lean towards encouraging marriage as early as possible. Need I say more?
Speaking of Utah – one of the loves of my life was an ex-Mormon. I was 30 at the time, and for Christmas, we went to visit his family who lived in a small town outside of Salt Lake City. They couldn’t believe that I had never been married. To them, a 30 year old single woman was ancient.
We’re not Mormon, but my mother also thinks that people have an expiration date at 30. Since I was a child, my mom told me that if a man isn’t married by age 30, there’s something wrong with him. Even though she had doubts, she married my father right when he turned 30 or just a months before because in her mind, if she had waited any longer, he would no longer be marriageable. I am just three short years away from the imaginary expiration date!
I find your Mom’s story touching about marrying your Dad. (I hope her strategy was a success.) But the days of 30 being an expiration date are long, long, gone.
The “risky behavior” comment reminds me of a post I read recently where the writer rips to shreds the argument that married women are safer. Here’s the link to anyone interested: “You’re Safer Single”: http://territrespicio.com/wapo/
Like you, Robin, I take extremely good care of myself, and am healthier than most of my married friends. This study is laughable.
Having a social support system (family, friends) is proven to have protective effects for health, but that doesn’t mean you have to LIVE with them. People who blog or write news articles tend to sensationalize any kind of social science research and hold dubious hypotheses out as fact. I think that’s why people in this country don’t trust science anymore; there are so many conflicting studies and important nuances are never picked up by the news media. Reporters conveniently forget to include the portion of the scientific study that talks about whether or not the results are statistically significant and more analysis needs to be done (hint: that’s just about every new study, especially if it’s social science research). Groan.
I love your first sentence. Thanks for articulating that, Leyla. Groan, indeed!
Interestingly, the comments on the article pretty much pick apart both the data and the analysis.
I too have suspicions about this kind of study conducted by BYU.
What’s also a problem is the way the study gets reported. “Partner up.” Are you kidding me???
I’m getting bored with all of these studies. Ignore indeed, Wendy. Whether the studies are in favor of being single, married, divorced, whatever, people don’t need a study in order to examine their own lives and level of contentment. Even if the study were “true” doesn’t mean that it’s true for me or you! For instance, most people would probably say they want to have children if asked in a survey. But that’s not true for ME. So what good does that study do me? It doesn’t have any impact on my life, contentment or decisions.
At the end of the day, if you’re lonely and want more companionship, it’s up to you to get out there and make it happen. And, no, that doesn’t mean a mate/partner. It could be a mate, but it doesn’t have to. It could be more friends or spending more time with family or joining a club. Singles do not have the market on needing companionship. I’ve met and heard from plenty of partnered people who are looking for more friends. In fact, last month a new woman attended my meetup group who is married but wants more friends.
Again, these studies are boring and unproductive.
A few years ago, Eric Klinenberg wrote the book, Going Solo. It’s a very nuanced and upbeat exploration. The book’s subtitle: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone. http://goo.gl/MXBhZE
Oh yes, watch for the bias in the study. Anyways, what risky behaviors? Running road or trail races WITH friends like I do? Hahahah. I make sure I go to the doc when something is amiss and I just did my yearly health assessment. My friends and I are looking forward to hikes this spring and summer and a week together at the beach where I will learn to do stand-up paddle boarding. Who needs this study!!!
Feeling alone and isolated in a marriage. That’s risky behavior.
But I have never read a blog post or article in the NY Times about the negative health effects of living in a marriage-gone-sour or staying in a relationship where you are treated like crap. Why is that? There are plenty of unhappy and lonely people in all configurations of partnership.
You’re right. We need more of those kinds of studies.