The percentage of American seniors who live alone has fallen in recent decades, mostly due a decline among women ages 65-84, a new study finds.

One major reason for the change identified by Pew Research Center researchers is that men are living longer, the Washington Post reported.

The percentage of people 65 and older who lived alone fell from 29 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2014. During that time the percentage of men who lived alone rose from 15 to 18 percent, and fell from 38 to 32 percent among women.

The study also found that women who live alone have better social connections, are happier with their social lives than men, spend more time on hobbies, and are less likely to remarry or want to do so after being widowed or divorced, the Post reported.