FitChick Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 Yet another story about marriage being good for your health and longevity, especially if you are a man. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8716222/Why-a-healthy-marriage-is-good-for-the-heart.html
Woggle Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 You don't really live longer married but life seems much longer. Who needs those extra years when you are a vegetable anyway?
carhill Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 Purely anecdotal but all my married male friends have had far more health problems than I have. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, BPH, impotence, on and on. The closest I've come to having a health problem is my gall bladder, but I control it with proper diet. If anything, I was 'sicker' while married, since it, combined with being a caregiver, was psychologically daunting and physically stressful. Allergies, arrhythmia, high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, etc. Once my M ended and my mom died, my prior mental and physical health returned and I feel better than I have in years. I extrapolate that a healthy and loving marriage is good for a man's health. Perhaps someday I will experience that. Until then, I enjoy the good health that a balanced life and genetics provides.
Richard Friedman Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 Maybe there's the fact that women aren't picking washed up losers for marriage in the first place? I doubt there are women lining up to marry bums and heroin addicts, who bring the average down on the nonmarried side. Most stable, white collar guys see it as some kind of goal to get married. Will it make them happier though?
Olive42 Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 It states right in the article that being happy in the marriage is a factor that was considered.
Woggle Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 It states right in the article that being happy in the marriage is a factor that was considered. How much of the married population does that actually cover though?
carhill Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 (edited) I forgot to include that my male friends generally feel happy and content in their M's, far more so and for far longer a period than I was in mine. Shortest M in the group is 15 years and longest is 33 years. Most are 20-28. I'd say nearly half are second M's. Also relevant is the age demographic, with most being over 50 y/o. Health issues in men are far more common over 50 than at younger ages. ETA that my primary assertion was, having been single for 42 out of my 52 years, with M for ten, I have yet to see that being non-married and, further, non-LTR for long stretches, has had any meaningful detrimental effects on my physical and mental health, at least compared to my contemporaries who appear to be in happy M's or LTR's. Obviously, one anecdote, perhaps from one atypical male. Edited August 22, 2011 by carhill
Olive42 Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 I've obviously heard of several studies that find men are healthier when married, but have wondered about this, since most of the men I can think of gained weight after being married (don't exercise as much, since they "have" someone, eat more, etc....basically stop trying I guess), which can contribute to all kinds of health issues, as well as depression and things like that, if I'm not mistaken.
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