Before 2010, if you were married, your sex life was considerably more active than your single friends. Now, your sex life is on the decline. In 1955, if you were married, you probably were healthier than your single friends. A new study has turned that notion on its head just the same.
A new study published in Social Science Quarterly set out to observe the link between marriage and health.
“Marriage is considered to protect health via multiple mechanisms, but this effect may have weakened as marriage has become deinstitutionalized in the United States,” the study’s objective reads.
The study found that the added health benefits that were previously associated with marriage have dwindled considerably in recent years, and any benefit that still existed was far less significant, and primarily found in women in marriages longer than 10 years.
This study comes just three years after the United States saw its single population surpass its married population for the first time in recorded history.
It’s not that couples are facing some sort of health crisis, or that single people have found some sort of miracle health elixir. Basically, the study found that larger factors outside of marriage may be more so responsible and/or the benefits may have been a bit dubious in the first place.
If you’re looking for a way to stay healthy and live longer, tying the knot may not be the best or cheapest option.
What do you think? Do you generally feel like your married friends are happier than your single friends? Or vice versa? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
