There is a common belief that married people tend to live longer. However, that is not an absolute truth. What’s true is that being married or being in an intimate relationship has an impact on life expectancy. Does it increase your number of years or shorten them? That is the big question!
How Marriage Helps You Live Longer
People are social animals, which means that generally speaking, we are not meant to be alone. That’s why studies have shown that people tend to live longer when they are married compared to those who remain single. Having a partner means having a constant companion and emotional support, which is good for mental health.
It also usually means that you have more sources of income for your household, or what is termed economic advantage. Married couples who are well-off are more likely to have a longer life.
However, these benefits are not gender-neutral. Studies suggest that men reap more benefits of being married than women. One of the reasons is that men tend to depend greatly on their spouses emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Wives are also the ones who keep a tab of their husbands’ health. They can encourage them (or badger them?) to stop or reduce bad habits, such as drinking and smoking, and to see their doctors regularly. For this reason, studies have found that married men have a lesser risk of developing and dying from chronic illnesses, such as cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes.
To a lesser degree, the same thing goes for women. Because they have someone to look after them, it increases their longevity. One difference is that after their husbands die, women generally live for several years more, whereas widowers’ lives are shortened relative to their still-married peers.
There are no absolutes, however. For both men and women, when your spouse is gone, and you don’t have an extended family to support you, you tend to feel isolated. Your health can deteriorate, and there may be no-one who looks after you to make sure that you take care of yourself.
Also, men who have a partner who is younger than them also generally live longer. Studies said that this is due to the “health selection” factor, as well as psychological and social effects to an older partner of having a younger spouse.
Of course, the catch here in all cases is that you live longer when you are married, provided that your relationship is a solid and happy one. When you are happy in your intimate relationship, you have a more positive outlook in life and you are less stressed.
You also consider your spouse as one of the big reasons to be alive, so you take better care of yourself more by executing healthy habits.
How Marriage Increases Your Mortality Risk
Marriage is not always a happy thing, which is apparent given the existence of divorce statistics all over the world. Marriage can increase a woman’s mortality risk when she is married to a younger man. That may be because it is not a fully accepted social norm for women to partner with a young one, so they suffer from social sanctions.
Generally, women also deal with multiple stresses, especially those who are working. Working women are still expected to be the home keeper, to take care of all the household chores, and the greater share of parenting.
Divorce can have a detrimental effect on people’s overall health. Studies show that divorce can lead to a downward spiral for men. They are more likely to resort to bad habits, such as smoking and substance abuse, to cope with the emotional distress of getting divorced or separated. Women can also experience lower levels of life satisfaction and a negative outlook on their life.
What’s Changing
While many studies have shown several pieces of evidence that being happily married can increase your life expectancy, it doesn’t mean that being single will make your life shorter. In fact, more recent studies are seeing results that when people are single, they are increasing their longevity.
This is because of changing attitudes, such as men are becoming more responsible for their health. They tend to take care of themselves more and take action if there’s any health concern that they are experiencing.
Certainly, it is easy to see that being single could be far less stressful than being in a toxic, loveless, or abusive relationship.
The Takeaway
Marriage, indeed, has an impact on a person’s life expectancy. Whether that is a positive or a negative effect depends on the circumstances. If you want to live longer, your marriage should be one that makes you happy and enables you to grow.
If when you choose to stay single, being responsible enough to take care of yourself will increase your longevity.
