Abstract
Dr. Geoff MacDonald
University of Toronto
Attachment, sex, and singlehood
Relationship researchers often tout the benefits of romantic relationships, but there has been recent pushback suggesting that the benefits of relationships are overstated and that long-term singles can be healthy and happy. Like others, my lab has begun to shift our frame from the question of whether relationships are better than singlehood to the question of what predicts well-being for those who are single. I will discuss research on two factors that my lab's work suggests may be important for well-being in singlehood: attachment security and sexual satisfaction. I will also discuss research on the interplay between these factors examining whether the kinds of casual sexual experiences single individuals pursue depend on the single individual's level of attachment security.
