Traditionally, the New Year is a time when many people feel a renewed commitment to creating healthy habits, such as exercising regularly, drinking more water, or eating healthier. It turns out that when it comes to health, married people have an edge, especially married men. But certainly the act of walking down the aisle is not what confers this health benefit. (Also read: Tips for overcoming loneliness and dealing with holiday sadness
So what exactly is going on?
As a team, we study how relationships affect health. One of us is a professor of nursing, who studies how social support affects health behaviors.
One is a social health psychologist, who explores how stress affects relationships and the health of couples, and the other is a social psychologist, who studies how relationship affecting health behavior change.
Together, we examine how partners affect each other’s health, taking gender into account in this equation.
Health benefits of marriage, for men and women
It’s important to note that most studies on marriage and health are limited to married men and women.
But more recent studies are examining these relationships in partners with the same gender identity, biological sex, and gender diversity.
One theory that seeks to explain the link between marriage and health is the act of self-selection.
Simply put, people who are richer and healthier than average are not only more likely to get married, but also find a mate that is richer and healthier than average.
Men and women with less than average health and wealth are less likely to get married.
While this may be part of the story, marriage also gives partners a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement, and reduced feelings of loneliness.
This social inclusion, or the extent to which people engage in social relationships and activities, can have a big impact on health – from reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease to reducing the risk of heart disease. death or suicide.
Another important link between marriage and health involves inflammation in the body.
Research links loneliness and lack of a close relationship with inflammation, or how the body responds to illness, injury or illness.
While inflammation is necessary for healing, chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
While single adults certainly also have very meaningful close relationships, a marriage that is intrinsically healthy offers more opportunities for closeness and socialization, supporting relationships. link between marriage and infection.
As you dig deeper, gender also seems to play a role. A study involving marital quality, gender and inflammation found a link between lower levels of spousal support and higher levels of inflammation for women, but not men. .
In another study, if couples used negative communication patterns, such as one partner making demands while the other partner withdrawing, the women, not the men, were more likely to get infections. heavier.
Marriage and longevity
Married men and women live an average of two years longer than unmarried people. One reason for this longevity benefit is the influence of marriage partners on healthy behaviors.
Study after study shows that married people eat better and are less likely to smoke and drink excessively. All of these healthy behaviors help explain why married people tend to live longer.
However, men who marry women tend to see more lasting benefits than women who marry men, for a number of possible reasons.
For example, a woman’s spouse can care for their male partner, reinforce healthy behaviors, and create more opportunities for healthy choices.
Married men, on the other hand, were less likely to try to influence their wives’ health behaviors.
Women tend to take the lead in promoting healthy behaviors that benefit their husbands. The data show that men and women in same-sex relationships are more likely to engage in teamwork to jointly promote positive health behaviors.
Furthermore, married men and women are more likely to want to change their partner’s health behaviors, such as exercise, especially if their spouse’s habits are worse than theirs. These findings suggest that both the person and the partner’s gender matter.
Relationship quality can also influence health behaviors.
For example, in the exercise context, both men and women who reported higher levels of marital support were more likely to walk for exercise.
However, as men got older, the link between marital support and travel became stronger for them, but this was not true for married women.
Cultural standards and care
To better understand how men’s health benefits from their wives, consider cultural norms that promote the expectation that women will be the primary caregivers in committed relationships.
Middle-aged people, especially women, are also described as the “sandwich generation,” as they are often “stuck” between taking care of their growing children and taking care of aging parents.
The care can affect a person’s immune system and overall health.
In addition, invisible labor related to childcare and household chores, often disproportionately assigned to women, can leave women with less time to take care of themselves, such as such as physical activity.
Women also take on more responsibility for coordinating doctor appointments and promoting compliance with medical advice for their husbands than husbands do for their wives.
However, men often increase care time when their wives are sick.
Of course, not all marriages are equal
Relationship quality and relationship conflict also play an important role when it comes to marriage and health.
Gender socialization and power differences often lead to women thinking more about and caring about their relationships than men, leaving women primarily responsible for managing problems. relationship problems, while men shoulder less.
Research shows that women are also more likely to base their identity on their relationships, and so when they experience marital conflict or other relationship problems, they experience more negative effects on physical and emotional health than men.
This can include an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.
Does this mean that all men should get married to protect their health or can unmarried people enjoy the same health benefits as those who said “I do”?
Nothing. Of course, those who are not married can enjoy good health and longevity. Creating and maintaining strong social relationships and engaging with one’s community greatly benefits one’s health.
Additionally, making the best lifestyle choices, seeking preventative health care, and reducing stress can help people live longer, healthier lives.
Libby Richards, Melissa Franks and Rosie Shrout, Purdue University
