To the Left, To the Left. . .

It's not hard to notice these days that I am the last standing single person among all of my friends. Seriously. Every. Single. Friend. Is married, engaged, or in a relationship. Even the friends (both male and female) who never had any desire to slow down and proudly fit in the "play on playa" category have settled down in a relationship! I came across an MSN article online - or a concerned friend sent it to me, I don't remember - that was titled "Are You Better Off Single?" It's nice to read from time to time while I'm licking the brownie dough from the bottom of the mixing bowl, or while I inadvertently eat a whole bowl of strawberry jello, or while Sex and the City reruns play in the background. . .anyway, here are the inspiring points:

Reason #1: You have a better body.
A recent Cornell University study found that women generally gain five to eight pounds in the first few years of marriage and unhappily married women gain an average of 54 pounds in the first 10 years. For the unmarried, though, the motivation to stay slim remains: “Singles look at themselves through the eyes of others and want to be attractive to potential partners,” says Susan Davis, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in New York City, “so they’re still ‘working on themselves.’”

-Shoot, I've always had this body - in a relationship or NOT! *Sizzle*. Ok, who am I kidding. Note my eating habits in the paragraph above. Sigh.

Reason #2: You’re more likely to achieve great things.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have the time, the quiet and the lack of familial responsibilities. In fact, your premarital motivation to excel in life may be biologically programmed. According to a study conducted at the London School of Economics and Political Scientists, male scientists who stay single longer peak in their careers later in life and tend to be more productive than their married counterparts.

-This is definitely true. I've procured nicer clothes and shoes over the years. I've had more time to work on my car and keep it new and clean. I guess I have truly discovered my calling and changed my career path. Of course, if I had a boyfriend to nag all the time, I wouldn't have been able to achieve all of the above.

Reason #3: You do less housework.
According to one study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, women do less housework when single than when married. Men, on the other hand, do more housework when unmarried (that’s probably because there’s someone picking up after them once they’re wed…).

-This is bullshit. Maybe it's different when you're married, but I tend to clean the house more now because I entertain my married friends. Plus, I'm home more often and, well, cleaning is a great coping method for stress, you know. As for the men, the men in my family try to pull their weight around the house - and I can't imagine they were this obedient-err..I mean, mindful about keeping their living space clean as bachelors.

Reason #4: You can do what you want with your money—including keep it.
Go ahead: Splurge on that pricey moisturizer or that obscenely large plasma TV you’ve been lusting after. You don’t have to justify your purchase to anyone but yourself. Once you mix money with marriage, though, things change—and fast. According to a survey by SmartMoneyShrink Rap. “When you’re married, you have to deal with different styles of spending and saving, and you may take on your partner’s debt.” magazine, 40 percent of women and 36 percent of men have lied to their spouses about a purchase. “When you’re single, your finances are your own,” explains Phyllis Chase, a Los Angeles–based psychologist and co-host of the radio show Shrink Rap. “When you’re married, you have to deal with different styles of spending and saving, and you may take on your partner’s debt.”

-Perhaps...but I'm broke. And when you're broke, the grass is always greener on the other side. . .

Reason #5: You have better sex.
Married couples may have more sex (approximately 98 times a year vs. singles’ 49), but singles have better sex. According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, married women are significantly more likely to report problems with their sex lives than single women. “People who are dating have better sex because it’s novel,” says Davis. “Married people have to relearn how to play. It’s natural for singles because that’s the nature of a courting relationship—they tease, they experiment, they explore.”

-The part of this I think is bullshit is that "married couples have more sex." Is this in the U.S. or in Brazil? I have heard that the sex wanes after marriage. Then again, I can see the possibility that singles have better sex. For singles, the odds of getting sex are so inconsistent that they probably try to make the best of each chance they get; they view it as the last opportunity EVER. So no wonder it's better. It's like a last meal on death row.

Reason #6: You’re better rested and smarter.
While snuggling up next to a warm body can be pretty fantastic, according to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, your bedmate can cause you to lose an average of 49 minutes of sleep per night. Sleeping two-to-a-bed just isn’t as restful as snoozing solo. Other studies confirm that singles generally get more rest — seven to eight hours of sleep a night — than marrieds, which enhances memory, mood and concentration, as well as allows your immune system to recharge.

-If you partied like a single girl as much as I do, you would definitely not be more rested!! Yeah baby!! And judging from my selection of men lately, I'm definitely not smarter as a single girl, either! Woohoo!! Ok who am I kidding, again. I hardly party anymore and I'm not sure if being better rested and/or single has made me smarter. More picky, definitely. I do admit, however, that I love sleep now more than ever. Must come with age. Not because I'm single, dammit.

Reason #7: You’re less depressed.
Although the media often perpetuates the image of single people being down in the dumps, overall unmarried people tend to be happier than their married counterparts—if you’re a woman, that is. One report by the World Health Organization indicated that married women, especially ones with children, have a higher risk for depression than single women, and researchers at the University of London found that single women generally have fewer mental-health issues. “Marriage, in many ways, seems to benefit men more than women,” says Davis. “For women, there’s more of a loss of self.”

-Brownie dough. Jello. Ice cream sundaes. Sex and the City reruns. Need I say more?

Reason #8: You have better friendships.
Significant others are a wonderful thing, no doubt, but friends count, too. And on that front, one study found that, when women get married and have children, they spend much less time with their friends—less than five hours a week, down from 14 hours. Singles, however, often have the greatest sense of friendship and community—which can actually decrease stress levels, according to researchers at UCLA.

-You know, I could agree on this. IF I HAD SINGLE FRIENDS. Oh wait, I have 1. But she's 8 hours away. So much for spending more time with friends as a single girl. Ok, I exaggerate. I do, in fact, feel like I've developed much stronger friendships. My girlfriends are an extension of my family and my support network. And I know I'm there for them too - as a relationship advisor, so to speak. Because, clearly, as the only single one in the group, I'm definitely the expert.

Reason #9: Your travel tales are enviable.
Marrieds take the most vacations, dominating the market with 62 percent of all trips taken, but singles arguably go on more interesting trips. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, singles corner the adventure-travel market, engaging in activities like whitewater rafting, scuba diving and mountain biking. Being single and relatively footloose certainly allows you to expand your geographical — and personal — borders.

-DING DING DING!! Finally, a point I can wholeheartedly agree with. My married friends and siblings go to a lot of cool places but, frankly, they don't have the convenience or flexibility to go to the much COOLER places I've been able to go to on my own. I think being single has definitely allowed me to explore an otherwise-dormant sense of adventure I didn't know I had.

Reason #10: You know yourself—and what you want out of a relationship.
You’re a better catch now than you were at 20. You may have signs of, ahem, experience etched on your face, but that’s OK because you’re more interesting and more self-aware. Not only have you grown as a person, but you’ve probably been through the ringer a few times in matters of love and now know what you want—and what you don’t. Experts say that bodes well for future marital success and may actually decrease the likelihood of divorce. “When people get married young, they often feel like the other person will complete them, and they have trouble moving past that Hollywood myth,” explains Chase. “But maturity brings so much, because if you’re able to communicate who you are and what you want, the better your chances of having a successful marriage.”

-If you don't know me, then you probably don't realize I'm poking fun at this article. I tend to be overdramatic at times for the sake of effect. Sure I have moments where I bitch about being the "only single one left" but it's mostly because I'm tired of sharing my friends. Kidding. I'm probably more comfortable with being single now than I ever have been and I wouldn't trade places with any of my taken friends for a second. In fact, I might be too comfortable - I've forgotten what it's even like to compromise, communicate, work towards something more than just yourself. I definitely know myself better now and understand what I want in a relationship. Just haven't found it yet. I wanted to point out how difficult it can be to be in the singles market nowadays.

And to that, I raise my glass of champagne (or sparkling apple juice because I drank my only bottle of bubbly all alone last night - HAHA) in salute to singledom. Now, it's friday night, this single girl has to get ready to go out [with her coupled friends]. Betta reco'nize.