Can marriage improve your health? According to Linda J. Waite who presented her findings  at the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Lecture in 2010, married men are healthier than single men not only mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. Here are seven reasons why:

“Marriage connects people to an intimate other. And that’s probably the most important connection,” says Waite. “But marriage also connects people to a network of family, friends, and social institutions. Those social connections are extremely important and really change, especially for men, the way they live their lives.” Because of these social connections, men find a purpose higher than themselves, improving mental and emotional health.

“I would say one of the biggest ways to be healthy is to not die,” says Waite. And married men, on average, have a longer life-span than bachelors.

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Married men, on average, are physically healthier than single ones.

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It’s true. According to the Washington Post, “Men who are married work about 400 hours more per year  than their single peers with equivalent backgrounds.” They also work smarter.

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Research Shows that Marriage is a Beneficial Institution

These are just a small few of the many benefits of marriage. Men, women, and children benefit extensively from good couples who make a public promise to love and support one another for their entire lives, as has also been noted by research done by scholars in our School of Family Life.

“I think if people know that marriage is an institution which benefits them,” says Waite, “then in the long-run, attitudes toward marriage will change to be more supportive [and] protective [of the institution of marriage.]”

How has marriage improved your health?

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