The risk of death was 32 percent higher across a lifetime for single men compared to married men.
Many people choose a single life for freedom. They never have to wait for the bathroom as well as they’ve got all that “me time”. However, the singles may die about one decade earlier than the married, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers found the risk of death was 32 percent higher across a lifetime for single men compared to married men. Single women face a 23 percent higher mortality risk, compared to married women.
The data from studies conducted in the last 60 years shows that even single men could die about eight to 17 years earlier than their married male friends while women could die seven to 15 years earlier than their married female counterparts.
However, there are some good news for the singles. The relative risk of death for singles aged 30 to 39-years-old was 128 percent greater than among married people of the same age, but decreased to about 16 percent for single 70-year-olds when compared to 70-year olds in wedded bliss. Although the married still have better health than singles, the mortality gap between singles and the married is closing.
Anyway, many studies show the unmarried life could be tied to poorer health benefits, meager public assistance and less income for singles. In some cases, singles may not have the same social support that married couples have “by default,” If you have a spouse, he/she can urge you to go to the doctor when your health has some problem or take care of you when you are sick. You also have less of a risk taker when you’re married.
Still, that wedlock can impart special healing effects can not persuade everyone. Of course, the perfect study to answer the thorny question of whether marriage really does impart health benefits would be, well, unethical: randomly assigning people to stay single or to get married, and then following them throughout their lives.