Why you should actually look forward to being alone forever...

For years, single people have been painted as failures. Hollywood has managed to make three Bridget Jones films on that loose premise alone. But as it turns out, most research on single people is carried out through the lens of marriage, which isn't exactly the best way to draw accurate conclusions on single life. Basically, being forever alone may not be so awful after all.

Frustrated by the gaps in research on how fulfilling life without a partner can be, psychologist and author of Singled Out, Dr Bella DePaulo, decided to investigate singledom about a decade ago. Her latest work suggests embracing solitude can leave us open to more psychological growth and development than married people, who are actually more likely to become insular and withdrawn than their single counterparts.

I tracked down Dr DePaulo, who's also a researcher and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to speak about society's obsession with marriage, and what we should be doing to stop thinking about loneliness as something without potential benefits. Full story...

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