I’m Bella Depaulo and this is the first post to the “All Things Single” section of my blog. Here I will talk about single life without pity or apology. Just about all aspects of single life are fair game, except dating. I have nothing against people who like to date or read about dating; I’m just challenging the myth that what singles want more than anything else is to become unsingle.
As I write this, I’m 56 years old and I’ve always been single. I love my single life – well, all except the stereotyping, stigmatizing, interpersonal exclusion, and discrimination against singles. (“Singlism” is the name I’ve given to all of that.) I think we need to do some consciousness-raising about the singlism that goes unnoticed and unchallenged, so I’ll do my part here.
I’m also a social scientist with more than 100 academic publications. I taught graduate courses in research methods for two decades. When I see some study about marital status misrepresented in the media, the professional journals, or anywhere else, I’ll explain what’s wrong with the claims. I’ll also talk about the good stuff, including high-quality research studies and insightful books and movies.
Maybe some of you already know my take on single life from my books, Singled Out and Single with Attitude, and from my Living Single blog over at Psychology Today. You will find the same sort of approach here.
I’ll still post most of my thoughts about single life at Living Single as well as here. The difference is that there will be some posts that will appear only here. Those will include some shorter posts as well as some follow-ups to topics already addressed repeatedly at Living Single. Also, I will occasionally get more personal than I typically do at Psychology Today. You will find most of the personal stuff (even if it is mostly about my single life) in the section of this blog called “It’s Personal.”
I’m always open to your suggestions about topics to address. I try not to get too involved in the Comments section because I see that as the place for readers to have their say. But I do add my own comments occasionally, and I read every comment that is posted.
My list of favorite links and resources relevant to singles can be found on this page. It is a blogroll and more. If you know of enlightened writings about singles not already on my list (including your own), do let me know.
Enjoy!
