过年了，你被"逼婚"了吗？不少单身朋友回家过春节时，总会面对父母"你什么时候交朋友/结婚"的唠叨。当父母问起你为什么还单身时，你该怎么回答？你内心深处对这个疑问有没有答案？本期内容，我们一起来聊聊如何坦然面对being single(单身)。
尽管你可能会感到孤独，但大量不被打扰的时间是你应当珍视的财富。你可以尽情做自己想做的事，丰富人生。进入一段感情后，你可就没有这么多时间了。
【I.单身让你提升自我】
单身时光也许是你最好的一段人生经历之一，它会让你学会自立，学会自信，学会认识自己，以及怎样与自己为伴。
Being single may be one of the best experiences of your life. It teaches you self-reliance. It teaches you self-confidence. It teaches you an immense amount about who you are. It teaches you how to keep yourself company.
[单身理由1:时间属于自己]
所有"有主"的人都会告诉你，经营恋爱和婚姻关系需要巨多时间。所以当你单身时，你有更多属于自己的时间，可以做自己喜欢的事，你可以有自己的时间表。单身的你有更多时间发展兴趣爱好、放松心情以及与朋友和家人相聚。单身使你有更多的时间让自己变得更好。
Relationships and marriages require a significant amount of time, as anyone who is married or in a relationship will tell you. So when you're single, you may have more time for yourself and things that you like to do. You can set your own schedule. Being single may give you more time for hobbies, relaxation, being with friends and family, and so on. Being single gives you more time to better yourself.
[单身理由2:培养独立精神]
一个人生活意味着你要独立解决所有你不懂的事情，没人能帮你，所以这是你提升动手能力和自信心的绝好机会！只要你去读上几本书，再向附近的五金店或家装商场取取经，你就会惊讶地发现在短时间内你学到了多少东西！从烹饪到修理水管，都不在话下。
When you're single, there's no one around to do all the things you don't know how to do, which makes being single a great opportunity to sharpen your DIY skills and boost your confidence. If you read a couple of books and ask questions at your local hardware or home-improvement store, you'll be surprised how quickly you can learn everything from cooking to plumbing.
[单身理由3:认识更多朋友]
情侣们总是"与世隔绝"，他们把大部分时间花在伴侣身上而很少交到新朋友。相比之下，单身的人更加"有空"并且更容易接近，所以他们容易结交到更多朋友，并更能从中体会多样的生活。每一段新的友谊或感情都是个学习新知的好机会——从登山知识到红酒的奥秘——而且这些知识不会随着朋友的离开而消逝。
Couples often become insulated, spending most of their time with each other and not making many new friends. Single people are more "out there" and more approachable, so they tend to meet more people and end up experiencing more of what life has to offer. Each new friendship or romance is a chance to learn something new - from mountaineering to the mysteries of wine - and those lessons stay with you even if the people move on.
无论你是想买一台单反，还是想来一场说走就走的旅行，单身让你无需与他人商量，完全支配自己的财务，享受冒险的自由。
【II.单身让你享受生活】
两人世界意味着妥协。单身的时候，你只向自己妥协。这让你有更多的空间去释放激情，追寻梦想，按自己的节奏生活。
Couplehood means compromise. When you're single, any compromises you make are with yourself. Being single leaves you free to pursue your passions, follow your dreams, and live life on your own terms.
[单身理由4:享受更多自由]
如果你想试着去巴黎生活，渴望移居阿拉斯加，想饲养雪橇犬，或者心血来潮想买辆房车启程上路，你可以的——如果你单身的话。单身意味着你可以冒险，而不用向另一半解释或寻求支持。无论你是想参加极限运动，还是换个职业，牺牲现在的薪水以换取长远机会，你一人做事一人当。
If you want to try living in Paris, have a hankering to move to Alaska and breed sled dogs, or feel the urge to buy an RV and hit the road, you can. You're single. Living single means you can take risks that might be difficult to justify or persuade a partner to support if you were part of a couple. Whether you're taking up an extreme sport, or making a career move that sacrifices short-term income for long-term opportunity, the only person you're putting at risk is you.
[单身理由5:花销你做主]
也许你不是很富裕，也许你必须继续工作，但是单身能让你得到另一种形式的经济独立。当你进入二人世界或成家后，许多花销都要共同决定，薪水的大部分都要用来满足他人的需要。如果你单身，你的花销你做主。
You may not be wealthy and you may need to keep your day job, but the single life gives you another kind of financial independence. When you're part of a couple or you have a family, many spending decisions are collective, and most of your paycheck has to support other people's needs. When you're single, you alone are in charge of how you spend your money.
知道自己能够快乐地独身生活，才能使你更容易快乐地享受婚姻。当你还没有遇到TA时，不妨先专注于自己的事业。它同样是你人生重要的一环。
【III.单身让未来婚姻更稳固】
单身可能帮助你为婚姻建立情感基础。原因部分在于，当你单身时，你可以进行大量的自我反思，关于爱以及很多很多。此外，你也可以为婚姻打下更牢固的物质基础。
Being single may lay the emotional foundation for your future marriage. Some of that is because, when you are single, you can do a whole lot of soul-searching. About love, and a bucketload of other stuff. You may also lay a better financial foundation for the marriage.
[单身理由6:发掘真实自我]
一旦成家，你的身份就会被父母、伴侣等所定义。单身时，你才有机会真正了解自己，发现自己真实的一面，并且确定自己的价值、信仰和目标。单身可以使你更深切地认识到你是谁，而不是被恋爱关系定义的人。
Once you have a family, you may end up defining yourself by your roles as parent, spouse and so on. When you're single, you have the chance to really get to know yourself, discover who you truly are, and determine your own values, beliefs and goals. Being single can give you a deeper awareness of who you really are - not someone as defined by a relationship.
[单身理由7:专注个人事业]
如果你单身，你找到工作的几率要大于已婚者。研究人员认为，其中的部分原因在于单身者更灵活，更能够适应派驻外地或工资不如先前高的工作。此外，单身生活让你专注于自己的事业，因为你不必花费时间经营与另一半的关系或陪伴他们。
If you're single, you have a better chance of finding work than people who are married. Among the reasons cited by researchers, single people are more flexible and better equipped to accept jobs that might require them to relocate or that pay less than their previous jobs. Living solo also allows you to invest in your career, because you don't have to spend time working on your relationship or doing things with your partner.
【附录:'反逼婚'小贴士】
看过了单身的7个理由，你是不是觉得心里更有底了？不过与父母交谈，还是需要注意一下技巧。下面的小贴士可能会有所帮助。Remember，逃婚不是办法，沟通才是王道。
1.要理解他们，他们着急，是出于现实的考虑，怕你错过婚嫁期最终老无所依，孤独寂寞。老人思想固执，想要他们理解你的"前卫"不可一蹴而就，只能慢慢改变。
2.多带身边单身而成功的朋友回家来，同父母接触，让父母了解到单身也精彩。反之，你还可以告诉他们一些身边急于结婚却婚姻不幸的例子。
3.支持父母外出旅游、社交。带他们体会新的生活方式，让他们有自己的世界，走出过于单一的生活。
4.与他们谈心，告诉他们你的心情，以及你害怕他们的哪些举动。告诉他们"硬逼"可能适得其反，让你离婚姻越来越远。
5.积极开拓自己的社交生活，精神愉快，性格开朗，感染父母，让他们真心觉得你过得很开心。
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