The Warm, Happy Marriage: Cold, Hard Facts to Consider

Benefits of Marriage

• Married adults are healthier than their non-married counterparts.
• Lower rates of morbidity and mortality
• Their health benefits persist even with factors such as race, income, and health status prior to marriage are taken into account.
• This means that married couples living in poverty have better physical health, compared to other low-income unmarried people, and their marital health benefits extend across all major ethnic groups.
• A man's or woman's marital status at age 48 strongly predicts his or her chances of surviving to age 65, with those not married more likely to die prematurely. 
• Divorce men experience health risks akin to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, while a woman's risk of dying prematurely decreases with the duration of her marriage.
• Married people are generally happier with greater life satisfaction, lower risk for depression, and greater economic stability; all contributing to better mental health. 
• When young adults marry, they experience an immediate reduction in depressive symptoms, and higher life satisfaction level hold true for the married across incomes, ethnic groups, and gender.