There are a few commonly held beliefs our society has about how men and women approach relationships differently. The big headline? In general, men are shown to value relationships more, be more intentional about seeking them out, and take it much harder when a relationship ends. We know they're generalizations, stereotypes even, and that they don't apply to everyone. But nevertheless, they somehow feel true.
Keep in mind that the study primarily looked at data from heterosexual couples and Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic WEIRD populations. With that said, the findings were super interesting.
Single men are more likely to be actively seeking a partner than single women. This is definitely a surprise. It goes against the mental image of the free-wheeling bachelor who's happy to date and sleep around with no particular rush to settle down thanks TV and film for constantly reinforcing this one! It also indicates that, in general, women are far less antsy about being single than the cultural stereotype would suggest.
Men benefit more from relationships when it comes to their physical and mental health. To be fair, relationships are usually good for everyone's health Abusive or toxic relationships are far worse. But the data suggest a bigger gap between single and partnered men, who can experience less depression, stress, hypertension, inflammation, and more.
That's not even close to being an even split! So it suggests there might be reason for such a big imbalance.
