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Before we dive into Part Three of this series, I want to address a concern many of my single readers have shared: that somehow, not getting married might be a “bad thing” or even a personal failure. Absolutely not! First, there’s been a global shift—more people are living together than are formally married. Some studies even show that singles with strong social support can be just as happy as women in healthy marriages. So relax—marriage isn’t for everyone, and being single can be far better than staying in a bad marriage.

But does research support the idea that marriage is a “fountain of youth”? Let’s take a closer look.

Marriage and Longevity

For over a century, research worldwide has found that married people—both men and women—tend to live longer than singles. A review of 53 studies found that mortality rates are about 18% lower for married individuals compared to singles, with no significant difference between men and women.

A U.S. study over eight years showed that widows had a 39% higher risk of mortality, divorced women 27% higher, and never-married women 58% higher than their married counterparts. These effects held across ages and were stronger for younger men than younger women. In short, married women generally live longer than single, divorced, or widowed women.

Lifestyle Impacts

Marriage also affects lifestyle habits, often for the better:

• Younger married couples drink less alcohol and binge drink less in the first few years of marriage, compared to singles.
• Marijuana use also decreases, particularly in men.

However, some habits aren’t improved by marriage:

• Smoking appears unaffected.
• Married people tend to gain about 5 pounds over 10 years, likely due to exercising roughly 15% less per week than singles.

So, marriage has mixed lifestyle effects: some positive, some less so.

General Health & Well-Being

Studies suggest that married people are more likely to enjoy longer, healthier lives. But the effects on physical health are less clear, due in part to study design issues like self-selection and follow-up duration. Recent research indicates marriage benefits men’s health more than women’s.

Divorce, however, has been shown to negatively impact women’s health. For example, women over 50 who are divorced face a 60% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who remain married.

Marriage as a Fountain of Youth

So what’s the bottom line? Marriage clearly benefits men’s health, while divorce or widowhood is detrimental to women’s health. For women, the benefits of marriage for longevity are clear, but improvements to overall health are less certain.

If you want to discover the “special sauce” behind the health benefits of being in a healthy, loving relationship, check out this article on the health advantages of strong partnerships.