Stay single and keep sane

The best way for a woman to remain sane in the modern world is to stay single, while lone men are most likely to seek the aid of a shrink, a study said yesterday.

Researchers found that single women enjoyed better mental health than those who were married.

The poll is at odds with beliefs about the 'Bridget Jones generation' of women who are truly happy only once they have nabbed a man.

But the study found that the same was not true for men, who fared better mentally if they were in a relationship.

It also hinted that a string of flings could be a feel-good factor for men.

The researchers, led by Dr Michaela Benzeval of London University, based their findings on a mental health questionnaire of 4,500 men and women aged under 65.

They found that, while serial sexual relationships were good for men's mental health, they were not for women's.

While men did better mentally if they simply cohabited with a partner, marriage was more beneficial to a woman's sense of wellbeing. Breakups-were painful for both sexes but women took longer to recover, the study claimed.

Women's mental health also became progressively worse the more breakups they had. Those who remained alone after a divorce had most need of a psychiatrist.

The researchers said: 'Men in first partnerships displayed better mental health than those who remained single.

' Women who remained single displayed equally good mental health to those in their first partnership and better health than those who had experienced a partnership split.

'This is further support for the finding that single men display more distress than married men and vice versa for women.'

The team called for a review of the cohabitation laws as lack of financial and property protection may explain why cohabiting women have poorer mental health compared with those who marry.

It also called on counsellors to target women with multiple break-ups.