30 percent of U.S. adults are single. This number jumps to 51 percent if we look only at gay, lesbian, or bisexual people, and to a whopping 63 percent among 18- to 29-year-old men.
Interested in how to recognize them, Reddit user Riff_lick601 asked everyone on the platform to share what they believe to be the telltale signs of a solo lifestyle, and in just a few days, they have received over 4,500 replies.
To cut through the noise, we’ve sorted the most popular and interesting ones. Continue scrolling to check them out and don’t miss the chat we had with psychologist Dr. Bella DePaulo — you’ll find it spread in between the entries.
#1
I used to work in the film industry, meaning I got fed two very good meals a day + snacks. So when I went to the supermarket it was basically some cereal for the weekend, toothpaste, maybe some chocolate and a lot of beer.
I’d get to the checkout (this is in London) and a large Jamaican lady would scan my items and say…..
“tsk ohhh, you live on your own don’t you?”
I’d shyly nod “yes”.
“You don’t have a girlfriend??? You want a girlfriend?”
Then she’d shout to the till 2 away “Sylvia! SYLVIA! you want a skinny white boyfriend?”.
Image source: pinpinipnip, Michael Burrows
#2
Incels, mostly. They never shut up about it.
I don’t play golf, but I don’t spend my life complaining about not playing golf, or how I’d be a really good golfer if golf only gave me a chance, or how golf is such a b***h and doesn’t want me because golf doesn’t know what’s good for it even though I’ve never bothered to make the slightest effort to learn how to play golf.
Image source: Portarossa, Engin Akyurt
#3
When I need my laundry chair to game, I move everything to the laundry bed. Then bedtime comes and my laundry chair is reborn.
Image source: SSBradley37, neP-neP919
#4
Soup for one, salad for one, wine for three.
Image source: benji_76, Anna Shvets
#5
I’m going to be positive and say “Doing whatever you want all the time”.
Image source: AVBellibolt, Alex Urezkov
#6
When your trash stinks. Not because you threw something stinky in there but because as a single person you don’t produce enough trash to fill and take out a bag of trash before it all rots and stinks…
Image source: ReddGoat, Suparerg Suksai
#7
The other side of my bed is used for keeping my water bottle, it’s where my phone sleeps, my emergency midnight bag of crisps, I take my bra off just before bed and stuff it there.
There’s no room for anyone else to sleep on that side.
Image source: Unusual_Disaster_725, Natalie Dupin
#8
Guys that are really into Andrew Tate.
Image source: Wolfeman0101
#9
(Straight) guys with long dirty fingernails. No woman would let those UTI daggers go anywhere near her fun bits.
Image source: OMG_Nooo, Kindel Media
#10
When I was in college, single, and broke, I went to the grocery store and they had these really…adequate frozen spicy chicken sandwiches on sale for like 25 cents a pop. I grabbed all of them.
I went to ring up, the cashier said “Wow, that’s…a lot. These must be really good.” I responded with “Eh, they fill the hole.”
Dude scanned a couple more in silence and asked “So, you’re like, really single, aren’t you?”
Image source: KhaosElement, Sean Gallagher
#11
Believing in an Alpha/Beta/Sigma pecking order.
Image source: streethawk2000, Amir Abbaspoor
#12
Being able to wake up on a saturday morning, think to yourself “f**k it” and stay in bed for another half hour before you decide wether you’ll be reading, gaming or going somewhere today.
Image source: Icy-Maintenance7041
#13
I have two seats in my tiny apartment. One faces the tv. The other is for the computer. They don’t face each other.
Oh, also, I have one pillow on my bed.
Image source: lestairwellwit, FlynnLive5
#14
My first ever apartment after I moved out from home,
All I had was a TV, Xbox, and bed, no other furniture. My whole apartment was empty.
My fridge was full of beer and frozen foods
I’d say that’s pretty bachelor.
Image source: Sufficient-Ad-3586, Max Vakhtbovycn
#15
Not finishing your groceries before they go bad because they don’t get eaten fast enough.
Image source: Pristine_Match457, Mike Jones
#16
Having 8 cats.
Image source: Snow4u1, NastyaSensei
#17
Actively looking around at parties.
MhrisCac:
That might be the worst one, having nobody to anchor to temporarily at a party is the worst feeling. Feeling like you’re a random free floater desperately searching for somebody to connect with blows.
Image source: Zestyclose_Most_8915, olia danilevich
#18
I got teased for this at work recently, but “ordering a sh*t ton of takeout for Friday lunch so you don’t have to cook over the weekend.”.
Image source: Voltundra
#19
When the price of rent makes you physically sick to your stomach because all the places are priced for two.
Image source: DishwashingUnit, Photo By: Kaboompics.com
#20
Not being invited to stuff because everyone else is going with their SOs.
Real_Sir_3655:
Or being invited anyway but hanging out with kids or grandmas instead.
Image source: temptingtreat18, cottonbro studio
#21
I bought one of those “DiGiorno Pizza – for one” personal pizzas at Walmart and the cashier said “Fun night?” as she rung it up.
Image source: SupaFlyChunkFunk, Mike Maguire
#22
Going to the gym by yourself in the evening on Valentines Day.
Image source: Don_Pablo512, William Choquette
#23
The lawn chairs in my living room.
Image source: propagandavid, axSupreme
#24
Always available for last-minute plans: No need to check in with anyone, so you’re always down for spontaneous hangouts.
Image source: Aggressive-Union-628, Jhosua Rodríguez
#25
Me eating lasagna straight from the pan.
Image source: sprinklywinks, Micheile Henderson
#26
Having “The Deal” with your opposite sex bestie that you’ll marry each other when you turn 30 if neither of you are already married.
Image source: PilotKnob
#27
Posting those motivational comics or drawings to Facebook that more or less say something like “the right one will come along eventually, just be patient and stay true to yourself. You deserve to be loved” and what not.
Never seen someone in a relationship, or a healthy one I guess, post anything like that.
Image source: DIABLO258, cottonbro studio
#28
Asking the veggie vendor at the market whether I can split that bunch of veggies in half because I can’t finish it all.
Image source: yodelingllama
#29
Receiving the “Microwave Cooking for One” cookbook as a Christmas present.
Image source: erikedge
#30
Body pillows.
Image source: ViviYiviV
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