Knowing What You Want: The Role of Relationship Clarity in Single Young Adults' Loneliness and Well‐Being

The goal of the current study was to explore the role of relationship clarity—the extent to which someone understands what they want in a relationship—in single young adults' dating experiences. We hypothesized that for single individuals who are actively dating, lacking clearly defined dating goals may lead to greater loneliness and, in turn, account for decreased life satisfaction. We first validated the Relationship Clarity Scale (RCS) using data from both Studies 1 and 2 ( N = 375). Across two studies, we then examined single young adults' dating experiences and reports of relationship clarity cross‐sectionally (Study 1: N = 191) and longitudinally (Study 2: N = 184). Findings revealed that for single young adults who were actively dating, lower relationship clarity (i.e., not knowing what one is looking for in a romantic relationship) predicted increased loneliness over time, and this loneliness accounted for decreased life satisfaction. These findings offer insight into how the clarity of romantic goals during early dating stages may be important for single people's well‐being and, ultimately, for life satisfaction.