Marriage – Is it good for your health?
Despite the number of marriages falling and the number of divorces soaring, the age old of tradition of tying the knot still boasts tremendous health benefits.
According to the Office for National Statistics, married couples have a higher life expectancy and are healthier than non married couples. Though the ups and downs of relationships can be a significant source of stress, those who fall in love and stay in love can experience benefits to many areas of their health:
It Increases life expectancy
Professor Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick believes that the impact of marriage can be just as beneficial as quitting smoking. “Smoking takes on average seven years off a man’s life and marriage gives him an extra seven years.” He said. Marriage has a similarly positive effect on women’s average life expectancy, increasing it by an extra three years.
It reduces stress
A study from the University of Warwick revealed that marriage could help couples to develop healthier habits whilst suppressing bad ones. In addition, numerous studies have also found marriage to be great for lowering blood pressure.
In a study featured in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine, researchers revealed that happily married people had the healthiest blood pressure out of single and the unhappily married.
It brings you happiness
A commitment to making each other happy is what draws many to marriage In the first place so it is good to know it works in the majority of cases. Apparently, married couples are twice as likely to be ‘happy with life’ and less likely to be ‘not too happy’ than single, cohabiting, divorced, separated or widowed individuals.
In addition, those who are married are less likely to suffer from mental health problems, with many studies from around the world finding that mental health improves after marriage and deteriorates after divorce or separation.
It boosts the immune system
Though experts are yet to understand why, in a study of over 65s it was found that participants who were happily married had a higher level of antibodies in the blood than those who were not married, helping them to fight off flu viruses and other bugs.
In addition, a US study also revealed that married people make fewer visits to the doctors and have shorter average stays in hospitals.
Despite the benefits of marriage, all of them will undoubtedly have their ups and downs. If you are struggling to communicate or make your marriage work for whatever reason then counselling can really be of benefit. To find out more please visit our relationship issues fact-sheet for further information about how a counsellor or psychotherapist could help you to overcome the problems in your marriage.
View the original WebMD article.