How to Be Single and Happy: Science Based Strategies for Keeping Your Sanity While Looking for a Soulmate

An inspiring, evidence-based guide for single women on how to navigate the stressful world of modern dating while living their best, happiest life, whether solo or coupled up

It’s ironic. There are more ways to meet a mate than ever before (just swipe the latest dating app), yet there are more single women than at any time in recent history. No wonder so many of us feel frustrated by the process of looking for a partner. From painful trends like “ghosting” to relatives’ and friends’ well-meaning questions (“Why are you still single?”), it’s tough to avoid feeling “less-than” if you don’t have a plus-one.

Dr. Jenny Taitz, a respected clinical psychologist, has been there herself, and her new book, How to Be Single and Happy, offers readers a dose of mindfulness, self-compassion, plus a wealth of tools to live a more joyful and meaningful life, using her training as a board-certified expert in cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Drawing on the latest clinical research (Did you know that worrying about being single can interfere with your thinking?), hundreds of patient interviews, and principles of positive psychology, Dr. Taitz challenges some popular myths about women and love: that a woman’s relationship status has anything to do with her worth; that finding a relationship is a cure-all for unhappiness and that women need to suppress what they want (or play by an arbitrary set of “rules”) to secure a relationship.

Instead, this wise and empowering guide gives readers strategies to stop overanalyzing romantic encounters, get over regrets or guilt about failed relationships (not to mention guys who ghosted), and identify and cultivate the mindset, values and connections that make them most fulfilled. Dr. Taitz also shares proven strategies for identifying what they want and need in a partner—and becoming more skillful daters in the process. But more important, it makes clear what it takes to build a fulfilling life right now. Because ultimately, the only person who can make you happy is you.