Why are married men healthier than everyone else?

It turns out that married people have an advantage when it comes to health, especially married men. But certainly it’s not the act of walking down the aisle that provides this health benefit.

So what exactly is at play?

As a team, we study how relationships affect health. One of us is a nursing professor studying how social support affects health behaviors. One is a social psychologist studying how stress affects relationships and couples’ health, and one is a social psychologist studying how relationships affect changes in health behaviors. Together we examine how partners affect each other’s health, factoring gender into this equation.

Health benefits of marriage for men and women

It is important to note that most marriage and health studies have been limited to married men and women. However, more recent studies examine these relationships in partners who share the same gender identity, same biological sex, and gender differences.

One theory that attempts to explain the link between marriage and health is the act of self-selection. Put simply, people who are wealthier and healthier than average are more likely not only to get married, but also to find a mate who is wealthier and healthier than average. Men and women with poorer health and wealth than average are less likely to marry at all.

While that may be part of the story, marriage also offers partners a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement, and a reduced sense of loneliness. This social integration, or the extent to which people participate in social relationships and activities, can have major impacts on health—from reducing your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease to lowering your own risk of death or suicide.

Another important connection between marriage and health concerns the body’s inflammatory process. Research links loneliness and the lack of close relationships to inflammation, or the way the body responds to illness, injury or disease. Although inflammation is needed for healing, chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. While single adults no doubt also have very meaningful close relationships, a healthy marriage inherently offers more opportunities for closeness and socialization, supporting the connection between marriage and inflammation.

If you dig deeper, gender also seems to play a role. A study on Marital Quality, Gender, and Inflammation found an association between lower levels of spousal support and higher levels of inflammation in women, but not in men. In another study, when couples used negative communication patterns, such as For example, one partner making demands while the other partner withdraws, women but not men experienced increased inflammation.

marriage and longevity

Married men and married women live on average two years longer than their unmarried counterparts. One reason for this longevity advantage is the influence of spouses on healthy behavior. Study after study shows that married people eat better and smoke less and drink excessively. All of these healthy behaviors explain why married people tend to live longer. However, men married to women tend to see additional longevity benefits than women married to men for several possible reasons.

For example, female spouses can pay attention to their male partners, reinforce healthy behaviors, and provide more opportunities for healthy choices. On the other hand, married men are less likely to try to influence their wives’ health behaviors.

Wives tend to take the lead in promoting healthy behaviors, which benefits their husbands. Data suggests that men and women in same-sex relationships tend to engage in teamwork to collectively promote positive health behaviors. In addition, married men and women are more likely to want to change their partners’ health behaviors, e.g. B. Exercise, especially if the spouse’s habits are worse than their own. These results suggest that both the person and the gender of the partner matter.

Relationship quality can also influence health behavior. For example, related to physical activity, both men and women who reported more marital support were more likely to walk for physical activity. However, as men got older, the association between marital support and walking became even stronger for them, but the same was not true for married women.

Cultural norms and care

To better understand how men’s health benefits their wives, consider cultural norms that foster the expectation that women will be the primary caregivers in committed relationships.

Middle-aged people, and women in particular, are also referred to as the “sandwich generation” because they are often “sandwiched” between caring for growing children and aging parents. Grooming can take a toll on the immune system and overall health. In addition, invisible work related to childcare and household chores, which often fall disproportionately to women, may limit women’s time for self-sufficiency, e.g. B. for physical activity.

Women also assume more responsibility for coordinating doctor’s appointments and promoting compliance with medical advice for their husbands than men do for their wives. However, men often spend more time caring when their wives are ill.

Of course, not all marriages are created equal

Relationship quality and relationship conflict also play an important role when it comes to marriage and health. Gender socialization and power differences often result in women thinking about and caring about their relationships more than men, resulting in women taking the primary responsibility for dealing with relationship issues while men shoulder less of the burden.

Research shows that women are also more likely to base their identity on their relationships. So when they experience marital conflict or other relationship issues, they experience more negative emotional and physical health effects 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 that unmarried people cannot enjoy the same health benefits as those who said yes?

Not at all. Of course, unmarried people can enjoy good health and longevity. Building and maintaining strong social bonds and engaging in one’s community are major contributors to good health. Additionally, making the best lifestyle choices available, seeking preventative health care, and reducing stress can help everyone live longer, healthier lives.

Libby Richards is Associate Professor of Nursing at Purdue University; Melissa Franks is Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University and Rosie Shrout is Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University.

This article was republished by The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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