A New Job or a New Relationship: Which Would You Rather Start in 2012?
Who needs a job when you have love? Granted, love isn't going to pay the bills, but if you believe every love song ever written and every romantic comedy to grace the silver screen, then love is the most important thing of all. Whatever helps you sleep at night…
Match.com recently surveyed their members to see what singles wish for this holiday season. On the top of wish lists this year was that special someone to bring home for the holidays, at 46%, and even though we're still in a recession and wanting a job should be paramount for some, only 29% of those polled put a new job at the top of their holiday must-have list. It leaves one to wonder exactly when people's priorities got so out of whack. I guess we can thank Mariah Carey and Love, Actually for this wonkiness.
The stress of being single during the holidays even forces some people to lie to their friends and families about their relationship status, or rather lack thereof. Men, at 29.9%, admitted to telling their parents that they were hooked up when they were actually single so as to avoid pressure, awkward dinner conversation, or being set up with a cousin's boss or that strange uncle's roommate. Women, although less likely to lie, are still prone to exaggerating when it comes to their single status, with 16.7% admitting to falsifying such details. You know, because there's nothing in the world worse than being single. Poverty? Homelessness? Abuse? They don't mean a thing in comparison to the almighty importance of being in a relationship.
Considering the pressure family members can put on singles, it does make sense, I suppose. Although I'd rather lie that I finally landed that dream job at Conde Nast as opposed to that dreamboat who serves me coffee every morning. Of the Match.com singles polled, 41.3% cited that obnoxious and too often asked question, "why are you still single?" as the top stress that leads to the aforementioned lies. See, moms and dads? Your kiddos wouldn't lie if you could just keep all conversation topics to weather, politics and religion - you know, the pointless stuff.
Ugh. I long for the day when society's judgments go away and we can all carve our own way in the world without others dictating what we hold important. Personally, I find these statistics far more stressful than anything my parents could ask me, because I feel bad for all the other badgered singles out there.
It's almost the New Year. Family pressure aside, would you rather get a new job or a new relationship in 2012?
Written by Amanda Chatel for YourTango.com.
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