LONDON (Reuters Health) - Marriage seems to be so good for men's health
that married men are less likely to die in a given period than their single
counterparts, according to British researchers.
Professor Andrew Oswald and Dr. Jonathan Gardner from the department
of economics at Warwick University looked at data on more than 12,000 adults
from the British Household Survey and the British Retirement Survey.
Factoring out influences such as smoking and drinking, married men were
6.1% less likely to die over a 7-year period than single men, they found.
Women benefited less from marriage, with their death risk dropping just
2.9%.
Researchers have often found that married men and women are healthier
than singles, and the Warwick researchers speculate that a spouse might
reduce a man's stress and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
But that does not seem to be the only factor, they note in their report,
which is published
online.
"Exactly how marriage works its magic remains mysterious," they write
in their report. "Perhaps a strong personal relationship improves mental
health and helps the individual to ward off physical illness. More research
here is certainly needed."
Oswald said the findings debunk the idea that wealthier people live
longer.
"Forget cash. It is as clear as day from the data that marriage, rather
than money, is what keeps people alive," he said in a statement.