40% of Adults Are Single? Really??

I have no idea if this is true, seeing as I couldn’t be bothered to research it further, but apparently the percentage of single Americans in 2008 was above 40% - I read this somewhere. On the basis that I don’t even know if this is true, I also cannot be expected to know what the criteria is either. Is this just talking about people who are not married or co-habiting? Or does it also include those who could class themselves in a long term relationship?

If includes the latter, then I’m definitely living in the wrong country. It really doesn’t seem as if there are that many single people around, I certainly don’t meet too many. That said, most of my friends are also single but it just doesn’t add up that most of the 40% are women! So come on guys, where are you hiding??

Actually, what I’d quite like to hear about is the reasons. Are they people who have been hurt and can never face love again? Is it because they are chronically shy? Because they think you can never have too much of a good thing and never stick around long enough for a relationship? I’m always interested in the reasons why someone is single, I kind of hope they’ll come up with one that I can steal. I suspect most of them however, like me, would fail to come up with an answer.