I wrote about the philosophy behind the new Oxford Handbook of Singlehood, especially how building an interdisciplinary area of research requires the right culture. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/introducin...

@ygirme.bsky.social and I are very happy to announce that the first set of chapters from our new Oxford Handbook of Singlehood are now available: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...

Do higher expectations for romance go hand in hand with less satisfaction in single life? New research in #PSPB explores the link and how those expectations also relate to future relationship outcomes. Read more: https://ow.ly/3OX950YQAAy

Does seeing partnership more negatively make singles happier? New paper by Tayler Wells explores this and more. Thread with the key takeaways.

It's that time of year at U of T.

Single women are happier than single men in the West, but is that true in China? @elainehoan.bsky.social talks about her new paper on singlehood in China in a guest post at The Unromantic. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/the-case-o...

Is singlehood good for work-life balance? This one really depends on how you research the question. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/is-singleh...

Akiko Yoshida provides some good theoretical ideas for dealing with rapidly changing singlehood norms. Why aren't they being incorporated? unromanticprof.substack.com/p/japanomie

Academics and journalists don't share the same goals. What does that mean for an academic operating in media spaces? My thoughts in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/whats-it-l...

The MacLab makes an appearance on CBC's The National. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Xa...

Consider signing up for this study.

I revisited MacLab research on the link between income and well-being in singlehood for my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/do-people-...

Spending the (Canadian) holiday checking out the art installations at the Beaches in Toronto.

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