Singles Day: the biggest advantages of being single

More and more households are single nowadays, and it’s expected that this will only increase in the future. The idea that a single person should find their perfect match as soon as possible seems to be fading into the background. For the younger generations, growing old together is not necessarily the goal in life anymore. This is only logical: there are many advantages to being single. There’s even a special holiday for singles: Singles Day. We celebrate it worldwide on 11/11!

The history of Singles Day

In 1993, a group of single students at Nanjing University in China came up with the answer to Valentine’s Day: Singles Day. They felt lonely, but also very positive. What the students didn’t want is to wallow in self-pity because they didn’t have a partner, but rather to celebrate being single. The choice to celebrate this special holiday falls on 11 November, as 11/11 resembles four unattached sticks.

The anti-Valentine’s Day to celebrate bachelorhood quickly spread across universities in China. It mostly revolves around harmless things students do, like reserving so many seats in a cinema showing a romantic movie that couples can’t sit next to each other.

From bachelors’ day to shopping day

For the global public, Singles Day is especially known after CEO Daniel Zhang and his web shop Alibaba paid a lot of attention to it in 2009. The day has developed into a commercial holiday, where companies sell more on Singles Day than on their usual best day: Cyber Monday. While the day has been commercialised, that doesn’t take away from its significance. On this day, singles in China treat themselves to something special that they wouldn’t normally spend money on so readily. This can vary from a dinner out to a luxury product. And this doesn’t only happen in China: some people in the Netherlands choose to celebrate Singles Day as well.

What do you celebrate on Singles Day?

On Singles Day, people celebrate being single and being able to focus on one person: themselves. It is a counteraction to the normal focus on people  in relationships. We celebrate that people who are single can have just as nice, happy and complete a life as people in a relationship. As we already mentioned, in China it’s a tradition for singles to give themselves something beautiful or special. And there we have the first advantage of being single: you don’t have to account to anyone how you want to spend your money.

Advantages of being single

Chances are that you’ve often heard remarks like “A nice girl like you can’t possibly still be single” or that “your clock is ticking”. But let’s be honest: for many people, the idea of a house, a garden and a pet is more of a nightmare than a dream. Generally, singles aren’t lonelier than people in a relationship; indeed, according to research, they seek more contact with their social network. And not every single person is actively looking for a partner. So what are the biggest advantages of being single?

You can set your own schedule

Binge-watching an entire season on the weekend or a spontaneous daytrip: when you’re single, you don’t have to worry about anyone but yourself. You get to decide how you spend your days, whether it’s alone, with your friends, or on a booty call. “One of the biggest advantages of being single is that you get to spend more quality time with friends,” says psychologist Roxy Zarrabi.

It’s easier to make decisions

Feel free to paint that wall pink or black, because only you need to be happy with it. Making decisions is easier when you’re single since only your opinion counts. And that’s especially useful when it comes to important decisions, like moving house or taking on a new job.

Your money is yours

And when it comes to spending money, no one will tell you what to do. Dreaming of that one pair of sunglasses or a designer bag? Just buy them and enjoy them for years to come. As a single person, you don’t have to pay for your partner’s debts. And another nice thing: you never have to worry about someone else spending your money.

I’m going on vacation to…

If you love going on city trips, nothing is as annoying as a partner who insists on climbing or even worse: spending the whole week in an all-inclusive resort by the pool. If you’re single, you can decide which city you want to visit this time.

You have more time to discover yourself

Whether you want to learn more about yoga, want to start a new course, or are just learning what you really like in bed, being single gives you more time to discover yourself. You’re more likely to follow a TV show your partner turns on than read the book you’ve been wanting to dive into. But if you’re single, you’re less likely to be distracted by someone else, making it easier to do your own thing.

Celebrate Singles Day yourself

Whether you want to celebrate Singles Day and how you want to celebrate it, is up to you. That’s the great advantage of being single! Do what feels good to you and stay true to yourself. Would you like to do something with this, but not sure what? Go for one of the options below:

Favourite food and TV series

If watching a good film or binging your favourite TV series makes you happy, this could be a good option for Singles Day. And if you don’t usually indulge in sweet or savoury treats, consider doing so on this festive day!

Reading tip: What type of self-love is right for you?

Single together

Gather a few other singles around you and go do something fun together. This could be a city tour, for example, ending with a nice drink and dinner at your favourite restaurant.

Give yourself a special gift

Whether you’re a big spender or not, Singles Day is a perfect day to treat yourself. It certainly doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s entirely up to you. If you want to limit your expenses to a tenner, you could buy yourself a nice bunch of flowers or your favourite magazine. If you want to spend more, for example somewhere between 30 and 100 pounds, spoil yourself with a nice coffee table book, new lingerie, perfume, or perhaps an exciting toy for the bedroom? Are you going for a luxury present? Treat yourself to a beautiful piece of jewellery, a trip, a piece of furniture, or a new bicycle.