The biggest lie we’ve been sold, bigger than Facebook, is that it’s healthier to be in a relationship. The truth is, there’s never been a better time to be single, and this is especially true in Florida. Floridians are are hooking up — or at least trying to — a lot.
Already, I can hear you thinking, “No. Way. This place is the worst.” I know, because having lived as a single adult in many cities (and countries), I’ve heard that said of each and every one. According to a recent survey, the interest is out there, more in Florida than most states. Here's your handy guide to breaking down the results, and why being single matters (or not).
There's a timely element — today is National Singles Day. I know, I hear the crickets, too. But it’s a good enough reason to let you know that there have never been as many unmarried adults as there are now. The Census Bureau reports that 110.6 million people, a full 45.2 percent of U.S. residents over 18, are single. Relative to my theory that you're living in a great place to be single, that’s just about the same as the number of people who visit Florida every year. But that's really less relevant than that percentage. Even if you think being single blows, as a voting block, this group set to outgrow married people. There’s power in numbers.
Who’s thirsty?
Four Loko, that blackout-in-a-can malt beverage that surprised everybody with its comeback, analyzed Google data to reveal our nation’s hook-up hotspots. Florida came in at No. 12, beating New York and California. That means there were more searches for terms like, “bars with hottest guys/girls,” “best bars for hookups” and, my favorite, “where to buy Plan B.” I’d love a deep dive on the demos associated with the searches. I doubt it’s just the under-30 set. In God’s waiting room today, everybody’s on Tinder while they linger.
Interestingly, we didn’t fare as well on the city list. Jacksonville came in at 21, bested by San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose and Los Angeles, but still beating New York.
Better off alone?
Contrary to widely held beliefs, women, when they find themselves single, whether by death or divorce — and particularly older women — tend to be healthier than women entering new marriages. Similarly, marrying doesn’t influence self-esteem. In fact, after a break-up, whether a person stays single or not, any decreases in self-esteem tend to disappear after one year.
Of course, the opposite of married isn’t single, because you can be unmarried and be part of a couple or otherwise blessed with active love life. And there are celibate married people. These findings don’t entirely contradict what we’ve been taught about relationships, but they do point to one overarching truth — happiness is key.
The good news, Floridians, is that if you’re miserable with your partner, you are living in the right place. People here are on the prowl. Unless all of the searches are coming from a place of frustration, and then the exact opposite is true and no one is hooking up ever. Either way, with four cities on the list, what is happening in California?
