Equitable Marriages Could Save Lives (And Love)
Husbands live longer than single men. For wives, the calculation is more complex.
Teamwork now means better outcomes later.
Photographer: FG Trade/E+Most Americans who marry say “I do” between 25 and 30 — ages when serious illness is probably not the first thing on their minds. But in a way, tying the knot is a major health decision. For men, just being married is a predictor of living longer. For women, the picture is more complex.
Among men with prostate cancer, married men survive longer than single men; married men are also less likely to die of cardiovascular disease. And that’s not because healthier men are likelier to get married. In fact, “research shows the reverse is true,” concludes a summary of the studies by Harvard Health Publishing. “Unhealthy men actually marry earlier, are less likely to divorce, and are more likely to remarry.”