Marriage is good for your health and extends your life
A recent University study (How does marriage affect physical and psychological health?) went so far as to say that the impact of marriage on health and life expectancy, particularly in men, was almost equivalent to giving up smoking.
Comparing a variety of other academic papers, it concluded:
- Marriage makes people far less likely to suffer mental health problems
- Marriage makes people live much longer
- Marriage makes people healthier and happier
- Both men and women benefit
There is a genuine protection effect from marriage. …. What, in a deep sense, are the processes at work? How marriage works its magic remains mysterious
Another study (Is It Money Or Marriage That Keeps People Alive?) also offers suggestions that:
- Marriage may reduce stress
- Marriage may help couples develop healthier habits and suppress bad ones.
- A spouse also makes it more likely that there will be someone there to care in times of illness.
In a study of people over the age of 65, it was found that those who said they were happily married had much higher levels of antibodies in the blood. Married people, therefore, could be more likely to fight off the flu virus and other common bugs. (University of Birmingham 2005)