A new psychology study suggests that, for young adults who are single, the quality of their friendships may matter more for happiness than many people assume. The research looked at what separates happier single young adults from less happy ones, using real survey data and a data-driven method that groups people by patterns in their well-being.
Researchers led by Lisa C. Walsh at the University of California, Los Angeles, reported the findings in PLOS ONE. In plain English, the core result was striking: friendship satisfaction showed up as the strongest predictor of happiness among single people ages 18 to 24.
Why Single Emerging Adults Were The Focus
For years, a lot of happiness research has centered on romantic relationships. That can leave single people out of the story, or treated as a comparison group. But being single is common in early adulthood and it does not automatically mean someone is unhappy.
Emerging adulthood, often defined as ages 18 to 24, is a life stage filled with change. People may move out, start college or full-time work and build new social circles. At the same time, they may have less daily contact with family and more responsibility for shaping their own support systems.
Because of that, the research team focused on single emerging adults “on their own terms.” Rather than asking whether singles are worse off than people in relationships, the study asked a different question: Which factors are linked to happiness among singles and do different “types” of well-being show up inside this group?
How The Researchers Measured Happiness And Social Life
The study analyzed survey data from 1,073 single adults between 18 and 24 years old. Each participant answered questions about their well-being and their social experiences. The goal was to capture more than one piece of the happiness puzzle.
Instead of measuring only mood, the researchers included both relationship and personality factors. They looked at friendship satisfaction and family satisfaction, along with self-esteem. They also measured two well-known personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion.
Neuroticism refers to a tendency to experience more negative feelings, like worry or irritability. Extraversion relates to being more outgoing and energized by social interaction. These traits do not “determine” anyone’s fate, but they often connect to how people experience daily life.
Five Happiness Profiles Found In The Data
One of the most interesting parts of this study was the method. The team used latent profile analysis, which is a way to find hidden subgroups in a dataset. In other words, it looks for patterns that repeat across people, then sorts participants into profiles that share similar patterns.
What showed up was not just “happy” and “unhappy.” The analysis identified five well-being profiles. Each profile had its own mix of friendship satisfaction, family satisfaction, self-esteem and personality traits.
The profiles were labeled Very Happy, Somewhat Happy, Average Happiness, Unhappy and Very Unhappy. The groups also differed in size, with Average Happiness being the largest. Very Happy was the smallest.
Here’s a simple snapshot of what the profiles looked like overall:
Very Happy and Somewhat Happy groups tended to report very strong friendships and higher self-esteem.
Unhappy and Very Unhappy groups showed more strain across relationships and self-view, plus higher neuroticism.
The Average Happiness group sat in the middle, with more mixed scores across the factors.
Friendship Satisfaction Was The Strongest Predictor
Across the profiles, one factor stood out. Friendship satisfaction was the strongest predictor of happiness for these single emerging adults. People who felt good about their friendships were far more likely to land in the happier profiles.
It was not just about being social in a general way. Extraversion mattered, but friendship satisfaction carried more weight. That difference matters because it points to friendship quality, not just personality or popularity.
Another way to say it is this: someone can be outgoing and still feel unsatisfied with their friendships. Someone else can be quieter and still feel deeply supported by a few close friends. The study suggests that the second situation may be better for happiness.
Not Having A Best Friend Was Linked To The Unhappiest Group
A detail that may feel very relatable showed up in the results. Participants without a best friend were more likely to be in the least happy group. That does not mean everyone needs a single “best” person, but it does highlight the role of closeness.
One reason this finding hits home is that many people can have lots of friendly contact while still feeling alone. A best friend can act as an emotional anchor, especially during a stage of life when everything else is shifting.
Callout: The study suggests that one close, satisfying friendship may matter more than a big social circle that feels shallow.
At the same time, it is important to be careful with interpretation. This is a snapshot in time. It cannot tell us whether lacking a best friend causes unhappiness, or whether feeling unhappy makes it harder to build that kind of bond.
Family Satisfaction, Self-Esteem And Personality Also Played A Role
Friendships were the star of the story, but they were not the only part. Family satisfaction also differed across the profiles. People in happier groups tended to feel more satisfied with family relationships, on average.
Self-esteem mattered too. Participants in the happiest profiles reported higher self-esteem, while those in the least happy profiles had lower self-esteem. That is consistent with broader psychology research that links self-esteem to life satisfaction and coping.
Personality traits added another layer. Higher extraversion tended to appear in happier profiles and higher neuroticism tended to appear in less happy ones. Still, the profiles suggested something more nuanced: strengths in one area could partly offset challenges in another.
For example, a person who scores higher on neuroticism may still report decent happiness if they feel supported and satisfied in their friendships. That does not erase difficult emotions, but it hints at how social support can shape daily experience.
Women Were More Common In The Less Happy Profiles
The study also found a gender pattern. Women were more likely than men to fall into the less happy profiles. The result does not say that women are “destined” to be less happy, but it does show a difference in this sample.
Several explanations are possible and the study itself cannot pin down which one is correct. It could reflect differences in stress exposure, social pressures, or how people report emotions. It could also connect to mental health trends that often show higher internalizing symptoms among young women.
Another possibility is that friendship expectations differ by gender. If someone values emotional closeness highly, then friendship strain could affect them more strongly. That is a hypothesis, not a conclusion, but it fits with the idea that satisfaction is not only about having friends, it is about meeting one’s needs.
What The Findings Suggest About Happiness While Single
It can be easy to treat single life as a waiting room for “real” adulthood. This study pushes against that idea. Many participants were doing well and the happiest profiles showed that single emerging adults can have strong well-being.
At a practical level, the findings point to one clear theme: close friendships may be a key happiness resource during ages 18 to 24. For many people, this is the time when friendships either deepen or drift, depending on school, work and moving.
If you are thinking about what this means for everyday life, consider what “friendship satisfaction” often includes. It is usually about feeling understood, respected and supported. It can also involve trust and reliability, especially when life gets chaotic.
Callout: The study’s results fit a simple idea that many people forget, happiness is often built with other people, not just inside your own head.
It is also worth noting what the findings do not say. They do not suggest you must be constantly social. They also do not suggest that romance is unimportant. Instead, the study highlights that, for single young adults, friendships can be central rather than secondary.
Key Limits Of The Study
Even strong results have limits and this study has several. First, it was cross-sectional, meaning all data was collected at one point in time. That makes it impossible to say what causes what.
Second, the study relied on self-report surveys. People may interpret questions differently and mood can shape how someone rates their friendships. A bad week can make everything look worse, even if the overall situation is stable.
Third, the sample included only single people ages 18 to 24. The findings may not apply to older adults, teens, or people who are partnered. The results may also vary across cultures and living situations.
Finally, latent profile analysis is helpful for finding patterns, but profiles are not permanent “types.” People can move between profiles as their life changes. A new friend group, a tough breakup, or a big move can all shift the picture.