Marriage may be good for health
It might be hard to believe when you're arguing over bills or closet space, but new research is confirming that marriage can actually be good for your health.
In a survey of 80,000 Americans, researchers found that people who never married were a whopping 58 percent more likely to die during an eight-year study than married folks. Meanwhile, those who were divorced or separated were 39 percent more likely to die during the follow-up period, and widowed people were 28 percent more likely to die than folks who were still married and living with their spouses during the beginning of the study.
Previous studies have always shown a link between social connections (including the kind that accompanies a good marriage) and longer life. But this was one of the rare studies that was large-scale enough to actually demonstrate the specific causes of death related to remaining unmarried.
Interestingly enough, it's not just married people who are more likely to be healthy and live longer. In fact, people who are healthier are also more likely to marry. (For instance, a healthy divorced person is more likely to remarry than an unhealthy divorced person.)
Of course, a doctor can't prescribe a healthy marriage, and a life-long partner isn't something you can find in the supplement aisle at Rite-Aid. But this does give me a chance to recommend one of my favorite treatments-one that I recommend whenever it applies: talk therapy.
Many a marriage has been saved by therapy. And many a divorcee has seen improvements in their quality of life after a few therapy sessions as well. I often see patients with major problems who are convinced they can figure things out on their own. They're usually wrong. The result is a lot of unnecessary suffering and anguish. And it's guys more often than women who don't have a clue. So guys wise up and make sure you and your partner get the help you need now.
If you're going through a rough patch-or if you've past the rough patch and have now proceeded into divorce-the first thing you should do is find a qualified talk therapist to help you work through your troubles. Examples are licensed psychotherapists, social workers or marriage counselors. Your doctor will usually be able to make a recommendation.
