Friendship drives happiness in single emerging adults, new study reveals

By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaReviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Oct 6 2024

Study uncovers how friendships shape the happiness of single emerging adults, offering new insights into well-being and the impact of social connections.

Study: Heterogeneity in happiness: A latent profile analysis of single emerging adults. Image Credit: Raul Mellado Ortiz / Shutterstock.com

Over the past several decades, single emerging adults, who are adults not in committed partnerships, have represented a higher proportion of the young adult population. In a recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers performed a latent profile analysis (LPA) to investigate the heterogeneity in happiness of single emerging adults.

About the study

In the present cross-sectional study, researchers explored the different factors influencing life satisfaction among emerging adults aged 18 to 24.

The current study included 1,073 emerging adults without romantic relationships who completed surveys between May 17, 2021, and June 23, 2021. The researchers assumed that single emerging adults exhibit heterogeneity, with LPA used to identify these subgroups.

LPA indicators of life satisfaction included family satisfaction, friendship satisfaction, neuroticism, extraversion, and self-esteem. Researchers analyzed and compared these characteristics among individuals to determine the presence of systematic patterns of variance.

LPA analyzed both quantitative and qualitative differences, with LPA markers increasing or decreasing concurrently in the quantitative analysis according to the level of life satisfaction. However, the qualitative analysis revealed complex patterns, indicating that individuals within profiles may exhibit a mix of high and low values across different indicators. Based on these distinctions, LPA developed unique profiles by assessing each individual's likelihood of belonging to a specific profile.

The 1985 Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and 2013 Personal Well-being Index (PWI) assessed participant well-being. The five-point Friendship Network Satisfaction Scale evaluated friendship satisfaction. The Family Satisfaction Scale indicated satisfaction with family members, whereas the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale measured the participants' self-esteem. The international personality item pool assessed neuroticism, and the Big Five Inventory measured extraversion.

Categorical covariates included gender and best friend status. Continuous factors related to well-being were the number of close friends, anxiety, depression, overall physical health, and a desire for solitude.

The National Health Interview assessed depression, whereas the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) assessed anxiety. The Preference for Solitude Scale assessed solitude.

Study findings

Five profiles of emerging single adults were identified, each with a unique form and level of enjoyment. Profile one individuals, which comprised 11% of the study cohort, were the happiest and had the most desirable indicator patterns of high friendship satisfaction, high family satisfaction, high extraversion, high confidence, and low neuroticism.

Profile five individuals, who comprised 9.1% of the cohort, had the least positive indicator variables. These included high neuroticism, low relationship satisfaction, low family satisfaction, poor confidence, and low extraversion, and as a result, they were the most unhappy.

Singles with intermediate profiles frequently offset drawbacks in one aspect, such as high neuroticism, with benefits in another, such as high satisfaction with friends, to reach average to slightly higher happiness levels.

Profile two individuals comprised 27% of the study cohort and reported a high degree of family and friendship happiness, as well as moderate self-esteem and extraversion. A total of 412 profile three individuals, which comprised 38% of the study cohort, had average contentment with family, average self-esteem, and extraversion, with low neuroticism and friendship contentment. Profile four individuals comprised 15% of the cohort and had average satisfaction with friends, less family happiness, less self-esteem, high neuroticism, and low levels of extraversion.

Profiles were distinguished not only by happiness levels but also by how indicators interacted within each group. Profile one individuals experienced extremely high levels of life satisfaction, whereas those in Profiles two and three had somewhat high and medium levels of life satisfaction, respectively. Individuals in profiles four and five had low levels of life satisfaction.

Friendship pleasure was a primary determinant of happiness. Covariate studies indicated further profile variations, including gender, depression, and anxiety.

Emerging adults in Profile one were much happier than those in other profiles. Interestingly, males were more prevalent in Profile one, while women were more commonly represented in the less happy profiles. Happy profiles were more likely to have close friends, lower levels of despair and anxiety, better physical health, and a lower propensity for isolation, whereas unhappy profiles had the reverse tendencies.

The study highlights that friendships may be particularly significant in helping emerging adults balance other emotional challenges, such as high neuroticism or low self-esteem. 

Given the interplay between friendships, well-being, and the profiles observed in our study, individuals may do well to capitalize on the opportunities emerging adulthood affords to create meaningful and lasting friendships with others.”