Single And Less Stressed?

The key to happiness and sanity for women could be as simple as staying single, according to a new British survey.

The study found single women have fewer mental health issues than their married counterparts.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, was conducted by researchers at the University of London, who based their findings on the response to a mental health questionnaire of adults under 65 taking part in the British Household Panel Survey.

Elizabeth Carll, a psychologist who specializes in stress and trauma, stopped by The Early Show and gave some insight into the survey.

"Married women can be as much stressed as the single woman, but there are common factors between being married and single," says Carll.

Co-anchor Harry Smith points out, "This is about the whole conversation of trying to have it all as a married female. And one of the things that really adds stress to the whole package is if children are involved. If you're trying to work, take care of a home, and take care of kids at the same time, that certainly can add to stress."

But, Carll explains, being single doesn't mean women are automatically less stressed. That depends on whether a woman's needs are being fulfilled.

"If you're single and want to be married, that could be stressful," she says. "If you're single and quite content and have good relationships, that could be quite comforting."

Carll says the complaint from women she hears often is that men tend not to help enough. Some men, she says, do share some of the household responsibilities.

"There are exceptions," says Carll. "But, for the most part, women do more things around the home."

Carll says work and having a career also adds to the stress married women feel because they are juggling two roles and trying to meet their own expectations.

"Having those expectations is really important because, again, for the woman who is creating the nest and making it all comfortable, a lot of that responsibility falls on her," she says. "Hopefully, she can delegate to her husband, who is very helpful. That can really reduce the stress."

Carll suggests married women to learn to say no.

"You can't do it all, and sometimes you can delegate to other people," she explains. "It's so tempting to want to help everybody else, but at this time of the year, it's really difficult."