It appears that love may not only be blind but also a bit perplexing, as recent scientific findings suggest.

A study conducted by the University of Zurich in Switzerland has revealed that individuals with higher intelligence levels may find themselves single for extended periods. This intriguing discovery adds a new dimension to our understanding of romantic relationships.

Michael Krämer, co-lead author of the study, shared insights on the findings, noting, “Our results demonstrate that both socio-demographic factors, such as education, and psychological characteristics, such as current well-being, help predict who will enter into a romantic relationship and who won’t.” These findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, lending credence to the study’s scientific rigor.

This research emerges at a time when the United States is experiencing what some are calling a ‘relationship recession.’ Over the last half-century, there has been a significant increase in the number of Americans aged 25-34 who are living without a spouse or partner. The statistics are striking, with 50% of men and 41% of women in this age group remaining unattached, according to data from the Economist.

In their quest to understand what might contribute to longer periods of singlehood, the researchers enlisted the participation of over 17,000 individuals in the UK and Germany. Through this extensive sampling, they aimed to uncover the underlying factors that could influence one’s relationship status.

They selected sixteen-year-olds with no prior relationship experience, and then surveyed them until age 29, asking them questions that captured their characteristics and demographic factors.

They found some surprising risk factors for long-term singledom, including being a young male adult with “lower well-being, higher education and living alone or with parents.”

Meanwhile, the University of Zurich study suggested that living with friends or flatmates potentially increased the chances of landing a romantic partner, the Daily Mail reported.

The authors didn’t reveal why smarter people are more likely to fly solo, but it contrasts with a prior study from 2018, which found that the more intelligent the person, the more likely they are to get and stay married.

For the next experiment, the team probed how life satisfaction, loneliness and levels of depression developed among the unattached versus participants with a paramour.

They found that people who stayed single for longer experienced declines in life satisfaction and increasing levels of loneliness.

“Well-being deficits became more pronounced in the later 20s,” coinciding with increased levels of depression, said the researchers, who noted that the phenomenon appeared to affect both men and women equally.

However, young people’s well-being improved substantially upon entering their first relationship.

In accordance, Dr. Krämer concluded that “remaining single for a prolonged period in young adulthood is associated with moderate risks to well–being.”

In general, the longer one remained single, the more pronounced the negative effects with the study suggesting that entering one’s first relationship becomes more difficult the deeper singletons get into their 20s.