(Image source from: towall.net)

In the generation where many teenagers spend more than enough time thinking and talking about being in a relationship, new research revealed that teenagers who are not in a romantic relationship have low depression, good social skills, and fared better than those who date.

The results stand as a contrast to the widespread notion that non-daters are disturbed. The research team said that the schools that promote health should include non-dating as one option of healthy development.

"In the end, school health educators, mental health professionals, and teachers should affirm social norms that support adolescents' individual freedom to decide whether to date or not, indicating that both are acceptable and healthy options," said study’s lead author Brooke Douglas from the University of Georgia.

The study looked at 594 students of class 10 and it has been published in the Journal of School Health. The researchers for the study categorized students in four groups and compared them using teacher ratings and student questionnaires.

By Sowmya Sangam