I’m a huge fan of Human Progress and especially Chelsea Follet’s work. I consume everything she writes and podcasts! I always look forward to the weekend to read the newest content released.
Usually I don’t comment, but felt compelled to comment here. I’m a 50 YO never married single mom who couldn’t be happier and I know many others like me.
I tried to find the study on marriage and happiness you refer to, but couldn’t. However, based on Sam’s vocabulary, it appears he is comparing people who are married to people who aren’t married — which incorrectly groups widows and divorcees as single people. The problem with this is that it doesn’t answer the question “Does marriage makes you happier?” We should be studying people who choose to get married versus people who choose not to get married because the choice to get married also includes the possibly of divorcing and being widowed. When looked at marriage this way, even conservative organizations like Pew Research show that marriage doesn’t make people happier.
That being said, I think that the opportunity we have today of choosing to marry versus it being an obligation makes marriage better. I believe I’ve been able to avoid getting married (it never appealed to me) and have a kid on my own because of capitalism - “the great enrichment” - (I love Diedre McClosky’s and Marian Tupy’s work too) - which has enabled me to have a great career and provide a nice life for me and my son. This ensures I’m not trapped in an abusive marriage (a family structure I grew up in and am happy to shield my son from).
I refer you to Bella DePaulo who is a researcher who studies single people for more information.
I’m a huge fan of Human Progress and especially Chelsea Follet’s work. I consume everything she writes and podcasts! I always look forward to the weekend to read the newest content released.
Usually I don’t comment, but felt compelled to comment here. I’m a 50 YO never married single mom who couldn’t be happier and I know many others like me.
I tried to find the study on marriage and happiness you refer to, but couldn’t. However, based on Sam’s vocabulary, it appears he is comparing people who are married to people who aren’t married — which incorrectly groups widows and divorcees as single people. The problem with this is that it doesn’t answer the question “Does marriage makes you happier?” We should be studying people who choose to get married versus people who choose not to get married because the choice to get married also includes the possibly of divorcing and being widowed. When looked at marriage this way, even conservative organizations like Pew Research show that marriage doesn’t make people happier.
That being said, I think that the opportunity we have today of choosing to marry versus it being an obligation makes marriage better. I believe I’ve been able to avoid getting married (it never appealed to me) and have a kid on my own because of capitalism - “the great enrichment” - (I love Diedre McClosky’s and Marian Tupy’s work too) - which has enabled me to have a great career and provide a nice life for me and my son. This ensures I’m not trapped in an abusive marriage (a family structure I grew up in and am happy to shield my son from).
I refer you to Bella DePaulo who is a researcher who studies single people for more information.