Geoff MacDonald 🇨🇦
@gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social
I research relationships and singlehood, take pictures, and generally try to understand things. Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto.
Pinned
I hadn't seen a Relationship Science starter pack so I made one. Please suggest additions or let me know if you have been unfairly tarred with a relationship science brush. go.bsky.app/CyN3fkq
In a recent paper, Bella DePaulo argues we should do singlehood research from a "singles-centred" perspective. In a reply, I argue that, practically speaking, that means ignoring large swaths of the singlehood experience. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-singles-...
February 9, 2026 at 4:55 PM
In a recent paper, Bella DePaulo argues we should do singlehood research from a "singles-centred" perspective. In a reply, I argue that, practically speaking, that means ignoring large swaths of the singlehood experience. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-singles-...
Sounds about right. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o...
Opinion | The Globalization of Canadian Rage
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Sounds about right. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o...
The effect of life events on personality and well-being is a hot topic. But our new paper on the effects of romantic partnering suggests you need to also consider the effect of NOT experiencing the life event. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/do-boosts-...
Do Boosts in Well-Being from Partnering Last?
The importance of tracking both those who partner and those who stay single longitudinally
unromanticprof.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:23 PM
The effect of life events on personality and well-being is a hot topic. But our new paper on the effects of romantic partnering suggests you need to also consider the effect of NOT experiencing the life event. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/do-boosts-...
MacLab work on sex and singlehood featured in PsyPost. www.psypost.org/one-specific...
One specific form of insecurity is significantly lower among singles who have casual sex
A new study suggests that single adults engaging in casual sex often report higher sexual satisfaction and a stronger sense of their own desirability. The findings challenge the idea that casual encou...
www.psypost.org
January 21, 2026 at 8:28 PM
MacLab work on sex and singlehood featured in PsyPost. www.psypost.org/one-specific...
How Confucian values make family a simultaneous support and strain for Chinese singles. My latest Substack post and the MacLab's latest paper. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/for-chines...
For Chinese (All?) Singles, Family Can Be Both Support and Strain
A new MacLab paper on filial piety and singlehood in China
unromanticprof.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:44 PM
How Confucian values make family a simultaneous support and strain for Chinese singles. My latest Substack post and the MacLab's latest paper. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/for-chines...
Do online studies advertised as being about singlehood or romantic relationships attract a biased sample? A new MacLab paper first-authored by @elainehoan.bsky.social says no. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/is-a-parti...
Is a Particular Type of Single Person More Likely to Sign up for Singlehood Research?
On the hunt for volunteer bias
unromanticprof.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Do online studies advertised as being about singlehood or romantic relationships attract a biased sample? A new MacLab paper first-authored by @elainehoan.bsky.social says no. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/is-a-parti...
An undergraduate project that turned into a publication leads to some reflections on singlehood and sexuality in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/what-kind-...
What Kind of Sex are Singles Having?
And who among them is having it?
unromanticprof.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:03 PM
An undergraduate project that turned into a publication leads to some reflections on singlehood and sexuality in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/what-kind-...
Thoughts on consensual non-monogamy from a singlehood perspective. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/consensual...
Consensual Non-Monogamy from an Involuntary Singlehood Perspective
Survivorship bias and other issues in CNM research
unromanticprof.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Thoughts on consensual non-monogamy from a singlehood perspective. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/consensual...
If descriptive research is supposed to be one cure for the replication crisis, why do reviewers and editors keep downgrading descriptive research for not advancing theory? I explore this (in the context of sex and singlehood) in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-the-val...
On the Value of Just Observing
What descriptive research revealed about singles' sexual satisfaction
unromanticprof.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:18 PM
If descriptive research is supposed to be one cure for the replication crisis, why do reviewers and editors keep downgrading descriptive research for not advancing theory? I explore this (in the context of sex and singlehood) in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-the-val...
It's become an academic trope to "challenge the narrative that...". But how do we know the narrative being challenged is really a thing? I go down this road in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-sith-bu...
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
It's become an academic trope to "challenge the narrative that...". But how do we know the narrative being challenged is really a thing? I go down this road in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-sith-bu...
If you've heard that unmarried, childless women are society's happiest group, then you've heard the singlehood meme that won't die. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/the-single...
The Singlehood Meme that Won’t Die
An oft repeated factoid is based on a retracted analysis
unromanticprof.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:14 PM
If you've heard that unmarried, childless women are society's happiest group, then you've heard the singlehood meme that won't die. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/the-single...
Played the role of the research nerd in this discussion of whether it's embarrassing to have a boyfriend. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - AntiSocial, Are women better off single?
An article about "embarrassing" boyfriends prompts a debate over women's singledom
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Played the role of the research nerd in this discussion of whether it's embarrassing to have a boyfriend. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Does solitude offer more autonomy than social interaction? A new paper with @elainehoan.bsky.social and @jessiesun.bsky.social says it depends who you're interacting with. Read about it in my most recent substack post (link to paper in comments). unromanticprof.substack.com/p/does-solit...
Does solitude bring freedom?
It depends who you socialize with
unromanticprof.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Does solitude offer more autonomy than social interaction? A new paper with @elainehoan.bsky.social and @jessiesun.bsky.social says it depends who you're interacting with. Read about it in my most recent substack post (link to paper in comments). unromanticprof.substack.com/p/does-solit...
Sombrio Beach, British Columbia.
October 28, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Sombrio Beach, British Columbia.
What do you miss when you focus on social structural accounts of singlehood? Maybe people's own experience. My latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/everyone-h...
Everyone has been single
The strange hole in the middle of singlehood studies
unromanticprof.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:56 PM
What do you miss when you focus on social structural accounts of singlehood? Maybe people's own experience. My latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/everyone-h...
Reposted by Geoff MacDonald 🇨🇦
📊 New research finds people often feel less autonomous during social interactions, but interaction partner matters.
Authors: @elainehoan.bsky.social, @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social, and @jessiesun.bsky.social
Read more in Social Psychological and Personality Science: ow.ly/sOOO50Xe6Ku
Authors: @elainehoan.bsky.social, @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social, and @jessiesun.bsky.social
Read more in Social Psychological and Personality Science: ow.ly/sOOO50Xe6Ku
October 17, 2025 at 6:42 PM
📊 New research finds people often feel less autonomous during social interactions, but interaction partner matters.
Authors: @elainehoan.bsky.social, @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social, and @jessiesun.bsky.social
Read more in Social Psychological and Personality Science: ow.ly/sOOO50Xe6Ku
Authors: @elainehoan.bsky.social, @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social, and @jessiesun.bsky.social
Read more in Social Psychological and Personality Science: ow.ly/sOOO50Xe6Ku
Is social interaction a tradeoff of autonomy for belonging compared to being alone? New paper by phenom @elainehoan.bsky.social says yes if you're interacting with strangers, no if you're interacting with friends/family. With a romantic partner you gain in both. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
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journals.sagepub.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Is social interaction a tradeoff of autonomy for belonging compared to being alone? New paper by phenom @elainehoan.bsky.social says yes if you're interacting with strangers, no if you're interacting with friends/family. With a romantic partner you gain in both. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I received a critique of my work that I found unsatisfying, and in my latest substack post I use research on relationship conflict to try to figure out why. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-users-gu...
A User's Guide to Critique in Academia
I disagree that my research is not done with integrity
unromanticprof.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I received a critique of my work that I found unsatisfying, and in my latest substack post I use research on relationship conflict to try to figure out why. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/a-users-gu...
Coverage of MacLab work on transition from singlehood to partnership. www.psypost.org/researchers-...
Researchers studied the shift from singlehood to dating. Three key areas stood out.
Romantic relationships are often assumed to enhance well-being, but evidence for that assumption remains debated. A new study tracked over 3,000 single adults to examine whether entering a romantic re...
www.psypost.org
October 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Coverage of MacLab work on transition from singlehood to partnership. www.psypost.org/researchers-...
The story in singlehood studies is that singlism has strong negative effects on well-being. But how good are the data? unromanticprof.substack.com/p/we-dont-kn...
We don't know the impact of singlism
The unknown unknowns in singlehood studies
unromanticprof.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
The story in singlehood studies is that singlism has strong negative effects on well-being. But how good are the data? unromanticprof.substack.com/p/we-dont-kn...
In my new substack post I discuss why accusations of "cheater techniques" are bad branding but good science. But what happens when you apply a "cheater technique" analysis to one of singlehood studies' central concepts, the "single at heart"? tinyurl.com/4pty7e2m
Standards of Evidence in Singlehood Studies
On the promise and peril of “cheater techniques”
tinyurl.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:28 PM
In my new substack post I discuss why accusations of "cheater techniques" are bad branding but good science. But what happens when you apply a "cheater technique" analysis to one of singlehood studies' central concepts, the "single at heart"? tinyurl.com/4pty7e2m
New post at The Unromantic on why singlehood studies should not make avoiding "deficit narratives" its only priority. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/how-should...
How should we talk about happy and unhappy singles?
When does avoiding “deficit narratives” turn into toxic positivity?
unromanticprof.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 1:56 PM
New post at The Unromantic on why singlehood studies should not make avoiding "deficit narratives" its only priority. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/how-should...
Is the idea that getting into a romantic relationship increases well-being a myth? A new MacLab paper says no. And I had so much to say about this work, I started a Substack: The Unromantic. Links for the paper and the Substack in replies.
September 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Is the idea that getting into a romantic relationship increases well-being a myth? A new MacLab paper says no. And I had so much to say about this work, I started a Substack: The Unromantic. Links for the paper and the Substack in replies.
Excited to be a part of what should be a very interesting roundtable.
👋 We are running an online roundtable at #APSGlobal on 22 OCT at 5PM EDT. Come join @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social @ygirme.bsky.social and me to discuss:
"Solitude and Singlehood: Balancing the Need for Autonomy and Social Connection"
Early-bird registration due in 1 week!
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky
"Solitude and Singlehood: Balancing the Need for Autonomy and Social Connection"
Early-bird registration due in 1 week!
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky
September 11, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Excited to be a part of what should be a very interesting roundtable.
MacLab in the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/b...
They Put Off Relationships Until They Earned Enough Money
www.nytimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
MacLab in the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/b...