Not every person who is single wants to change this status. But many people are desperately looking for a partner and then it just doesn’t work out. How come? Researchers from Greece have taken on this problem. Menelaus Apostolou and Elli Michaelidou identified 17 factors that can make finding a partner more difficult or easier.
The relatively high incidence of involuntary singleness raises questions about its causes, the researchers say. For their study, the researchers surveyed 1,432 people, 734 women (average age 35 years) and 698 men (average age 39 years). The group of respondents included both married people and voluntary or involuntary singles.
The research asked about the effects of 17 different characteristics and character traits – which ones are important for dating success and which ones aren’t. They are:
The study examined the question of what connection there might be between these factors and involuntary singleness. This is not the first study that attempts to clarify the mismatch problem – i.e. the paradox that societies with a largely free choice of partner have a high proportion of involuntary singles. The approach of Menelaus Apostolou and Elli Michaelidou is innovative because they query a variety of factors and examine their correlations. The results of the evaluations show that there are crucial factors that increase the probability of remaining single and not finding a partner despite wanting a partner. However, there are different characteristics in men and women.
The result: Not one factor alone condemns you to involuntary singleness. It only becomes difficult when certain characteristics come together. Low ability to flirt is a negative factor in men and women. This is hardly surprising, because flirting is a key skill, and without it there is a lack of initial contact. For women, things only become hopeless when, in addition to poor flirting, there is a cluster of low flirtatiousness, sexual reticence, pickiness when looking for a partner, and low compatibility. Then a long single existence is almost inevitable.
Poor flirting techniques are also a negative factor for men. But they form the minus cluster with different factors than women. For them they are: low emotional control, low self-esteem. In addition, there is an increased body mass index (BMI) and impaired sexual function.
One result is the same for both sexes: nothing works without good flirting techniques. But they are just a start; those affected should also keep an eye on the other negative factors and, if necessary, work on them if they want to find a partner.
Sources: Study, Psychology Today
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