The Unexpected Joy of Being Single: Locating unattached happiness by Catherine Gray

The Unexpected Joy of Being Single: Locating unattached happiness is a book by Catherine Gray. It focuses on being single and the idea of finding satisfaction while unattached.

Key details

• Author: Catherine Gray
• Explores changing norms around being single in Britain
• References average marriage ages of 35 for women and 38 for men
• Discusses cultural pressure for “couple-shaped” happy endings
• Draws on the author’s year away from dating

Synopsis

This book addresses the anxiety and urgency some people feel about being single, particularly as time passes. It notes that more than half of Brits aged 25–44 are now single, and that many people remain solo until later in life, with some choosing not to marry at all.

Catherine Gray describes taking a year off dating to seek “single satisfaction”. Along the way, she examines reasons behind what she calls a global single revolution, looks at the ways different cultures can single-shame, challenges the panic that “all the good ones are gone”, and questions the idea that married people are significantly happier. The aim is a “reverse brainwash” towards locating and enjoying single happiness.