Stereotypes About Single Men That We Need to Stop Believing

There are a number of stereotypes about single guys and they aren’t universally true.

Sure, certain habits and traits might be more prevalent among men who aren’t dating or married, but many bachelors simply don’t fit these all too common stereotypes.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some stereotypes about male bachelors and their lifestyles, and examine why these stereotypes don’t hold for so many single men.

Stereotype 1: Pizza and Popeye’s

One common image of the bachelor is that of a man who has an unhealthy diet. The underlying assumption is that if he doesn’t have a woman to cook for him (or at least guilt-trip him into eating a vegetable occasionally), he’ll take the easy route for his meals, resulting in a freezer full of DiGiorno and a car full of fast-food bags.

While this is probably fairly common among single men, it isn’t the case for many of them. Many single men do care about their health.

They also want to attract women and know that having cooking skills is attractive to many women. So these bachelors actually take time to cook their own healthy meals (even if they occasionally grab a McDonald’s burger on the way back from work).

Stereotype 2: Video Games

Another common stereotype is that of the single guy who spends all his free time playing video games. The idea is that if he doesn’t have a girlfriend to spend time with, the only way he’ll fill that time is by playing Elden Ring.

Once again, this is true for some single guys, but not for all. A sizable number of single guys have hobbies like marathon running, weight-lifting, guitar, song-writing, and other creative activities that they use to fill their free time.

Stereotype 3: Fear of Commitment 

Ok, this is an obvious one.

A lot of people believe that men who have been single for a long time are just afraid to commit to a woman. This isn’t necessarily the case, especially for devout Catholic men. Good Catholic men want to commit to a woman. But they want to commit to a good Catholic woman who has a compatible personality.

Since the number of practicing Catholics has grown smaller over the years, this means that Catholic men have fewer options (the same holds true for Catholic women), which means that they are likely to remain single longer than Catholic men used to.

These men aren’t afraid to commit. It just takes them longer to find the right woman to commit to than it did for previous generations of Catholic men. (Once again, it goes both ways. If you're a Catholic woman, it takes you longer to find the right man too. I’m not putting the blame on you, ladies!)

Stereotype 4: They Are Socially Awkward

There is a stereotype of the long-time single man as socially awkward (why else wouldn’t he be dating yet)?!

However, many (if not most) single guys have normal levels of social grace.

They are good at making new friends, and even at carrying on friendly conversations with women.

They just haven’t found the right woman yet.

It’s as simple as that. 

Stereotype 5: Bro-Time Over Girl-Time

Another stereotype about single guys is that they would much rather “hang with the bros” than spend time with a girlfriend. This stereotype holds true more (though not universally) among secular guys than it does with Catholic men. A secular man who is already having casual flings might prefer spending his free time with his male friends over the prospect of a girlfriend.

But for a Catholic man who is practicing chastity and craves emotional and spiritual intimacy, this doesn’t hold true. Catholic men do enjoy spending time with their male friends. However, they typically are invested in finding their future spouses. They just haven’t found that woman yet.

So there you have it: five common bachelor myths debunked.

The next time you might assume something about a single man, pause, and remember that not all single men are the same (and neither are single women)!

Now, I think I'll heat up a Hot-Pocket…