Living alone makes you happier and healthier

A study has recently resurfaced by sociology Professor Eric Klinenberg, author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, in which he details the many benefits of living alone.

Obviously this study didn’t take place in Auckland because who the F can afford to fly solo there, but the insights were definitely interesting.

While living alone isn’t ideal for everyone, it certainly has its benefits for some. Solo living has become the new norm for many people in their late 20s and early 30s for two reasons; disposable income and adulting. We ran a quick poll of our audience and 58% believe that living alone, even for a short amount of time, is a key step in becoming a well rounded adult.

Our millennials who are making this step for the first time associate this with a big step into the adult world because after years of being with their parental units or flatting through the messy Uni years, venturing out on their own signifies they’ve got their shit together. Our Gen Xers on the other hand who have ‘been there, done that’ retrospectively noted that moving out forced them to get a handle on their finances and learn to have a better work/life balance.

Klinenberg’s study found that people who live alone are not as you may think, lonely, but are actually more socially and communally engaged.

“In fact, compared with their married counterparts, they are more likely to eat out and exercise, go to art and music classes, attend public events and lectures, and volunteer”

Do we think this sounds legit?

For the most part, yes. Having lived in mixed situations over the years, our team has concluded that living alone did in fact give us that push we needed to get up and get out. Flying solo meant that there were no excuses to lounge around the house and we were more motivated to throw on our active wear and go for a walk, less likely to bail on social situations and were able to relax more frequently after a long week at work.

Overall, we definitely see the benefits of living alone if it suits your personal situation and your personality.

What are the added benefits?

While yes, it’s great that living alone is proven to foster some great emotional and social benefits, what gets us most excited is decorating.

Obsessed with a #bohodecor Instagram search, our favourite thing about living alone is getting to spend weekends at Kmart buying stuff we don’t need to make our home feel nice and cosy.

🙌🏽 Kmart, let us put a ring on it!