Look Inside. With eye-opening statistics, original data, and vivid portraits of people who live alone, renowned sociologist Eric Klinenberg upends conventional wisdom to deliver the definitive take on how the rise of going solo is transforming the American experience. Klinenberg shows that most single dwellers—whether in their twenties or eighties—are deeply engaged in social and civic life. Drawing on more than three hundred in-depth interviews, Klinenberg presents a revelatory examination of the most significant demographic shift since the baby boom and offers surprising insights on the benefits of this epochal change. A revelatory examination of the most significant demographic shift since the Baby Boom—the sharp increase in the number of people who live alone—that offers surprising insights on the benefits of this epochal change In , only 22 percent of American adults were single. Today, more than 50 percent of American adults are single, and 31 million—roughly one out of every seven adults—live alone.

For two-for-one bargains at global retail outlets and make-up vouchers from kindly corporate employers. Free sangrias at brunch and a discount at the weight-loss clinic. And I have only myself to thank. This is a simple idea which somehow never seems to kick-off: spending leisure time by yourself, by choice. Warning: a solo vacation might unleash the inveterate metaphor-maker in you, too.

In almost all cases, if given the chance, I prefer to ride with a friend or friends. I enjoy the camaraderie, the shared experience, the added motivation of getting out when you might not otherwise, and the subtle push to do certain rides or events, or add just a few more miles or minutes, that only riding buddies can get from one another. And, to be fair, there are just as many pleasures to be had in a solo ride, if not more.

Apparently picking up on the same cultural drift, a new fast-casual restaurant in Washington, D. Today, more than a quarter of American households are home to just one person— a figure that has tripled since Also, the median age at which Americans get married has recently reached a record high. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research gets at why most people are so reluctant to leave home and do fun things on their own. Comparing those results to surveys after the trip, the researchers found that the solo gallery-goers predicted lower levels of enjoyment, even though they ended up enjoying the experience about as much as those who went with company.