Science says there are health benefits to being married. We’ll look at the latest research.
Researcher Glenn Stanton studied several research papers on marriage and health. Here’s what he found:
Married people live longer because they are more likely to enjoy better physical health. The various ways marriage protects the health of married adults run the gamut, “The protective influence of marriage applies not only to more minor illnesses like colds, flu, and migraine headaches but also to serious health issues like cancer, heart disease, and heart attacks – as well as the need for any kind of surgery.”
Researchers studying marital health in seventeen different nations observed married people are more likely to recognize symptoms, seek medical treatment, avoid risky behavior, recover quicker, and eat a healthier diet.
One significant reason marriage has such strong health benefits is that spouses are intimately aware of and impacted by their spouse’s choices. In a sense, couples have a significant vested interest in watching out for one another and encouraging healthy choices and behavior.
Married men and women also have less likelihood of developing any form of mental illness. A 1991 study of the mental health in America found that married people have significantly lower rates of severe depression and at least half the likelihood of developing any psychiatric disorder then never-married, cohabiting and divorced people.
The research is clear. Those who marry have a much higher likelihood of living longer, being healthier and being happier.