In recent months, a new term has taken over TikTok and conversations among young adults: solomaxxing. Rooted in the culture of self-improvement (like looksmaxxing or proteinmaxxing), it describes the conscious decision to remain single and focus on oneself, rejecting the idea that being alone is a failure. For Generation Z, this is not a fallback but a genuine aspirational lifestyle.
The Economic Roots of the Phenomenon
According to the BMO Real Financial Progress Index, the average cost of a date in the United States in 2026 reached $189, a 12.5% increase from the previous year. In the United Kingdom, a Barclays study reveals that adults spend over £111 per month on dates and dating apps, with 52% of Gen Z adults saying these expenses have stopped them from dating altogether. It is no surprise that many young people choose to invest in themselves rather than in costly relationships. Inflation, fueled by shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S.-Iran conflict, has made dating a luxury for many.
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More Than Saving: Personal Fulfillment
Charlotte Hyden, 28, a skin therapist in London, practiced solomaxxing after a breakup. Instead of seeking a new partner, she traveled solo, took up paddleboarding, road cycling, and bouldering, and created a walking club. “Being alone means no one is triggering you or pulling you out of your own rhythm,” she explains. “There is no loneliness filling the gaps, just contentment.” The trend is not about avoiding people but about building a fulfilling life on one's own terms.
A Cultural Paradigm Shift
Bella DePaulo, author of Single at Heart, sees solomaxxing as a positive evolution: “For decades, marriage was seen as stability. The irony is that single life, for those who choose it, is completely stable. It is marriage that is unstable.” A MyIQ survey found that nearly half of adults aged 18 to 34 say being single feels more peaceful than being in a relationship, and 42% believe relationships interfere with personal goals and financial stability.
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A Growing Global Phenomenon
Justin Garcia, director of the Kinsey Institute, suggests in his book The Intimate Animal that there is almost no other society in cross-cultural literature with so many single adults at one time. In the United States, 42% of the adult population is single, according to a 2023 Pew study. More people are rejecting marriage altogether, and 80% of single-parent households are headed by single mothers. Solomaxxing thus fits into a historical trend of transcending rigid gender roles and increasing acceptance of relational diversity.
Despite conservative pushes for traditional family values, Gen Z embraces singledom as a choice of freedom. On TikTok, creators like @raspbbymel post: “Bymyselfmaxxing until I find someone whose company I enjoy more than my own.” The phenomenon also links to the concept of heterofatalism and Vogue's question: “Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?”
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DePaulo emphasizes that single people tend to maintain stronger ties to more people, contrary to the stereotype of loneliness. A 2021 study found that those living with others experience similar or occasionally higher levels of loneliness than those living alone. For Hyden, being “a lover girl at heart” does not mean closing the door to love, but not settling. Solomaxxing, she concludes, “is not about closing doors; it is about building a fulfilling life on your own terms.”
For more on the theme of self-determination versus external validation, read our article on Titan, Canada, and the Lesson for European SMEs. Explore how AI is reshaping relationships in The SK Telecom Case and Anthropic's Mythos Controversy. For a deeper look at long-term value in life choices, see Customer Lifetime Value. For broader context, visit Wikipedia on Generation Z.
