The Pressure of the Holidays on Single People

The Story

Who doesn't love the holidays? There are parties, booze, rich food, time spent with your loved ones, and... what's that? Lots of people actually hate the holidays? Ouch.

RELATED: How to Deal With Being Alone During the Holidays

While surviving the myriad pressures holiday gauntlet can be exhausting for anyone, it can be especially tough for single people, according to a new survey from the dating app Flirtini.

The Snapshot

That's because, according to the 2,000 respondents of the app's survey, there's a 50/50 chance that you're feeling pressure from your family to find someone to be with.

Flirtini's data also suggests only 25% of people would always attend a holiday even if they were single, meaning people might be so ashamed of their singledom that they're skipping opportunities to be together with their loved ones just so they don't have to confront potential awkward conversations.

However, this pressure doesn't just lead to stress, anxiety and skipping out on tasty meals. It also means, per the results of the survey, that people seriously consider and often execute the corny rom-com plot of bringing a fake date to a holiday dinner.

The Lesson

While it's understandable that you want to see your single family members find happiness, the truth is that the expectations we place on others can become seriously unpleasant. 

If the results of this survey are anything to go off, the idea that people are necessarily better off in relationships is a toxic one that's getting in the way of actual happiness. Besides erasing the experiences of aromantic people, this kind of thinking also encourages people to stay in unhappy or otherwise unhealthy relationships. 

RELATED: How to Tell You're in a Toxic Relationship

Instead of caring whether someone is in a relationship, maybe we should be celebrating the things in our loved ones' lives that are making them happy and/or helping them grow. 

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