Marriage: keeping you healthy

Married people are healthier than other adults. So concludes a report by the US National Center for Health Statistics based on a survey of more than 125,000 people. Says health statistician Charlotte Schoenborn:

Overall, this association between marital status and health persists regardless of socio-economic status, education and poverty, where people were born or their ethnicity. In general, married adults were the least likely to experience health problems and the least likely to engage in risky health behaviors, with the notable exception of being overweight.

According to a summary by CBS News, the report was based on a survey of 127,545 people in 1999-2002 conducted by the center, a part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report continues:

In addition to reporting better health overall, the study found that married people said they had less low back pain, fewer headaches and less psychological stress. They also were less likely to drink and smoke and were more physically active than people in general. An association between marriage and health was first reported in the 1970s, and the relationship persists although much has changed since then.

The best stressbuster: marriage

Forget massages, hot baths and soothing music - the key to beating stress is as simple as a happy marriage. Research shows that being in a loving relationship makes it easier to cope with the stresses and strains of working life.

Contrary to the popular perception that single people have a carefree lifestyle, it is those who are in long-term relationships who are most laid back. The UK Daily Mail reports that Dr Roxane Gervais, a psychologist at the Health and Safety Laboratory, monitored the stress levels of more than 400 nurses working in Yorkshire hospitals. She found that those who were married, or in a steady relationship, were least affected by the strains of the job. According the newspaper:

The study is far from the first to show that marriage is good for health. Previous research has shown that those who marry are far more likely to live longer than those who never tie the knot. This could be because people who are married take better care of themselves, perhaps because they feel they have more to live for. They also benefit from the added support and from expanding their network of friends.

The break-up of a marriage, however, has the opposite effect, with women who divorce being 50 per cent more likely to develop heart disease in later life than those who stay married.

Marriage: good for your health

There are many good reasons to choose wisely and carefully when picking a spouse - not the least of which is that you'll be spending an awful lot of time with them in both the near and distant future, possibly even raising children together.

So you want to find someone with whom you are compatible, share values -- someone who makes you happy. But perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to make an informed choice is that your spouse can affect your physical health in very direct, measurable ways.

Check out these stats published by Associated Counsellors & Therapists, of Hermosa Beach, California. Included is the following quote from psychologist and author John Gottman, PhD:

The benefits are better physical health, more resistance to infection, fewer infections, and a reduced likelihood of dying from cancer, from heart disease, from all major killers.

The other health benefit is longevity: People live longer if they are in marital relationships, particularly if they are in good, satisfying relationships...

There are physical benefits and mental health benefits. You have less depression, less anxiety disorders, less psychosis, less posttraumatic stress disorders, fewer phobias. You also have fewer injuries due to accidents.

Gottman, considered by many to be a pioneer in the field of marriage research, is the James Mifflin Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He and his wife Julie are directors of the Gottman Institute.