In a recent paper, Bella DePaulo argues we should do singlehood research from a "singles-centred" perspective. In a reply, I argue that, practically speaking, that means ignoring large swaths of the singlehood experience. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-singles-...

Sounds about right. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o...

The effect of life events on personality and well-being is a hot topic. But our new paper on the effects of romantic partnering suggests you need to also consider the effect of NOT experiencing the life event. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/do-boosts-...

MacLab work on sex and singlehood featured in PsyPost. www.psypost.org/one-specific...

How Confucian values make family a simultaneous support and strain for Chinese singles. My latest Substack post and the MacLab's latest paper. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/for-chines...

Do online studies advertised as being about singlehood or romantic relationships attract a biased sample? A new MacLab paper first-authored by @elainehoan.bsky.social says no. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/is-a-parti...

An undergraduate project that turned into a publication leads to some reflections on singlehood and sexuality in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/what-kind-...

Thoughts on consensual non-monogamy from a singlehood perspective. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/consensual...

If descriptive research is supposed to be one cure for the replication crisis, why do reviewers and editors keep downgrading descriptive research for not advancing theory? I explore this (in the context of sex and singlehood) in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-the-val...

It's become an academic trope to "challenge the narrative that...". But how do we know the narrative being challenged is really a thing? I go down this road in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-sith-bu...

If you've heard that unmarried, childless women are society's happiest group, then you've heard the singlehood meme that won't die. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/the-single...

Played the role of the research nerd in this discussion of whether it's embarrassing to have a boyfriend. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Does solitude offer more autonomy than social interaction? A new paper with @elainehoan.bsky.social and @jessiesun.bsky.social says it depends who you're interacting with. Read about it in my most recent substack post (link to paper in comments). unromanticprof.substack.com/p/does-solit...

Sombrio Beach, British Columbia.

What do you miss when you focus on social structural accounts of singlehood? Maybe people's own experience. My latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/everyone-h...

📊 New research finds people often feel less autonomous during social interactions, but interaction partner matters. Authors: @elainehoan.bsky.social, @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social, and @jessiesun.bsky.social Read more in Social Psychological and Personality Science: ow.ly/sOOO50Xe6Ku

Is social interaction a tradeoff of autonomy for belonging compared to being alone? New paper by phenom @elainehoan.bsky.social says yes if you're interacting with strangers, no if you're interacting with friends/family. With a romantic partner you gain in both. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

I received a critique of my work that I found unsatisfying, and in my latest substack post I use research on relationship conflict to try to figure out why. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-users-gu...

Coverage of MacLab work on transition from singlehood to partnership. www.psypost.org/researchers-...

The story in singlehood studies is that singlism has strong negative effects on well-being. But how good are the data? unromanticprof.substack.com/p/we-dont-kn...

In my new substack post I discuss why accusations of "cheater techniques" are bad branding but good science. But what happens when you apply a "cheater technique" analysis to one of singlehood studies' central concepts, the "single at heart"? tinyurl.com/4pty7e2m

New post at The Unromantic on why singlehood studies should not make avoiding "deficit narratives" its only priority. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/how-should...

Is the idea that getting into a romantic relationship increases well-being a myth? A new MacLab paper says no. And I had so much to say about this work, I started a Substack: The Unromantic. Links for the paper and the Substack in replies.

Excited to be a part of what should be a very interesting roundtable.

MacLab in the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/b...

The only other time I followed an account based on name alone was Stone Cold Jane Austen.

Slightly diminish a band: The Capable Capable Bosstones

Money can’t buy love - but it might make us more open to it, according to a new study #UofT 💗 uoft.me/bJy

Post a GIF of who you wanted to be as a kid!

People who pursue romantic relationships because they genuinely want connection and intimacy—not because of pressure or insecurity—are more likely to end up in a relationship. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Good coverage of our paper on individual differences in motivations for dating.

New MacLab paper. Do people partner up to save on rent? Apparently not.

Norris Point, Newfoundland

Western Brook Pond, Newfoundland

Tablelands, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

Dungeon Provincial Park, Bonavista, Newfoundland & Labrador

Cape Spear, Newfoundland.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrdor

The number of academic psychologists who fail the theory of mind test where being able to hear yourself does not mean the back of the room can hear you is remarkable. Please just use the microphone.

@elainehoan.bsky.social and I got a chance to write a more conversational piece about our gender and singlehood work for Psyche. psyche.co/ideas/is-bei...

“Whether Canadians ever would have joined the American Revolution en masse is doubtful. But invading Quebec as a persuasive tactic ultimately backfired on the patriots.” www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-...

People can want romantic relationships because they enjoy them or because they feel pressured into them. Our new paper uses Self-Determination Theory to measure motivations for relationships, to organize the literature on relationship desire, and predict who starts a relationship. shorturl.at/hP3o6

Singlehood among 20-30-year-olds is on the rise, but societal expectations to partner can undermine singlehood. Here are tips to support singlehood thriving. Ft. @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social @a-fisher.bsky.social @bdennett.bsky.social @hannahdupuis.bsky.social, Yoobin Park, Elyakim Kislev and more!!

Namwon, South Korea

Seoul 🇰🇷

This poem. Every single word.

🇨🇦

Post a photo you took with no context to bring some zen to the timeline.

Marriage is declining, but data suggest it makes people happier & more prosperous. Are we headed toward a crisis? I talk with Joe Henrich and @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social about where marriage came from, the role religion played, and whether everyone should pair up. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...