More people across the world are happy being single and living
alone, according to a new book, and author Eric Klinenberg
explains why going solo doesn't always mean being lonely and
depressed, contrary to misconceptions. You've likely seen a
movie or TV show where someone living alone was portrayed as a
loner, recluse or weirdo. Who lives solo these days, right?
Happy people are married with nuclear families and a busy
household, or so Hollywood would like us to believe. NYU
sociology professor Eric Klinenberg says nope, that's not true
at all. His new book Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and
Surprisingly Appeal of Living Alone documents one of the most
seismic demographic shifts since the baby boom: in 1950, only 4
million Americans lived alone. Today, around 32 million
Americans live alone, and that figure is analagous across many
countries, not just in the West. Why is this going-solo trend so
popular? In the book, Klinenberg writes, "Both the wealth
generated by economic development and the social sec