4 Great Reasons to Stay Single Forever

You don't have to be married to be happy. With more people than ever
choosing to remain single and never marry, academic researchers have
determined what millions already know: It's OK to be single. Many
studies over the decades have shown numerous reasons why marriage is
good for us. It not only makes us happier, but also healthier and
richer. It's even been shown to help us live longer.
What's THE very best city for singles? More than any other U.S. city,
one in particular is the happening place for singles.

But now there may be a marriage backlash. The U.S. Census Bureau reports
that the number of Americans 18 and older who have never married reached
55 million in 2006, up from about 45 million 10 years earlier. "We have
spent the last decade talking about how great marriage is, but there are
also costs," sociologist Naomi Gerstel of the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, told USA Today.


Four great reasons to stay single have emerged from several different
studies, reports USA Today:
--Marriage reduces social ties.
Singles are not only much more connected to their family and friends,
but also they are more likely to help their parents in their old age
than their married siblings, according to an unpublished study by
researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Boston
College.
--Singles are just as happy.
When a couple marries, there is a measurable boost in their happiness,
but it doesn't last. Over time, their happiness returns to pre-marriage
levels, according to a study by Michigan State University of 70,000
households in Great Britain and Germany. Singles who never married
reported the highest level of well-being.


--No significant economic benefit.
Across all social classes, women are less likely than in the past to see
marriage as an economic benefit, according to New York University
researchers. The result is that women are raising their standards and
giving a whole new meaning to the word "picky."
--Pressure to marry doesn't hurt self-esteem.
When family and friends pressure women to marry, it does not hurt their
self-image now as it once did in the past, according to a study from
Penn State University and Duke University.

I agree 100%. Plus, the most important thing: you don't have to share
your chocolates... :)

SheNerk, you look familiar. Are you on TV? LOL

No, I'm not really a famous nerd, I just play one on TV... :)

well steve urkel--i knew i've seen ya on tv before

Damn, I can't hide my celebrity from anyone. Stupid glasses give me
away every time...

How you doing SheNerd? and whats up with the chocolate? I think I just
got a connect 'sugar rush'.

The ONLY way I would stay single forever if it was God's plan and if I
was heartbroken from an abusive relationship or if I had a terrible
divorce.

Besides, that I would like to get married.

I've been married, it was the WORST experience in my life (even worse
than being dismembered by that cougar, or being thrown out of a plane by
the Guatemalan Air Force), and I would NEVER do that again, barring
amnesia, lobotomy, or irreversible voodoo curse.

Quick, somebody put the hoodoo on Lex (and keep him away from those
cougars)... :)

Cashay, I am always sugared up, it's the story of my life these days.
How are you doing?

I think being married can be great IF you are with the right one! I have
lots of married and engaged friends....I don't feel the "need" to get
married again. I think you can still have a wonderful relationship
without being married.
If I do reach that point to where I think the time is right, I know that
I would have to be 100% sure to ever do that again!! I think you should
live with someone and get to know that person first and then decide if
you want to look at that "mug" for the next 50 years

Only 4 reasons? heck I can think ofba dozen great reasons to stay single
in a few seconds.

Me, too. And even more reasons why chocolates are better than men. :)

well i can too--but ain't gonna share them---

Aw, c'mon, dish. I'll share my chocolates with you... :)

Ain't sayin' anything either.

This silence is deafening. And I can't even bribe anyone with
chocolate. What is the world coming to???

Lex is gonna bust if he holds it in and doesn't let us know how he
REALLY feels!

I can see it all now, little pieces of Lex all over...

I don't know if you guys can deal with it....!!