Since 1970 the marriage rate has fallen by almost 60%. And yet, married people live a longer life!
Before we get started, the answer is no. Marriage won’t cure all your problems. There’s no ultimate “life hack”.
However, there is evidence that getting married will result in you living a happier, longer, more fulfilled life.
That sounds great, don’t you think?
To be clear, the goal here is not to convince you to rush and get married.
The goal is to convince those who don’t want to get married because they believe they’ll be happier, or that it is a waste of time, that they might just be wrong.
Let’s dive in!
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1. Improved Physical Health
Marriage has been shown to have a positive impact on your physical health in several ways.
Married couples are more likely to engage in healthy behavior such as regular exercise (3x more sex) and healthy eating. They also engage less in risky behavior such as smoking, and excessive drinking.
The main reason for this is that your spouse can be a source of support and encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle.
When you love someone, you want the best for them. That means living a long, healthy life. They hold you accountable and can participate in these healthy activities with you.
One Harvard study showed that married couples are more likely to keep up with regular doctors’ appointments, have better mental health, and have better immune function. While the studies don’t point to marriage as the cause, those in marriages have seen these advantages.
What I believe is that love and support lead to a healthier lifestyle. The truth is, married people, live longer lives, have lower blood pressure, and experience fewer heart attacks. They’re also more likely to survive cancer.
Those are the stats. Take them or leave them!
2. Increased Happiness
The truth is, that purpose tends to lead to higher levels of happiness.
When you are married, you are sharing your life with your loved one. This means you are no longer only living for yourself. You have a deeper purpose and this results in higher levels of happiness.
Sharing your life with another and having support during the ups and downs leads to new levels of fulfillment and joy in your life.
Studies show that those who are married have happier lives than those who are single or divorced. Companionship, love, and support are the main reasons why.
Let’s be honest, we all love knowing there’s someone there for us. Someone to listen to our complaints, help carry the burden of running a household, and bring us security.
Don’t forget about your social life either!
Married couples are actually more social. You have someone to spend your time with, go traveling with, go to social events, or… just stay in and Netflix and chill with.
Lastly, more studies have shown that having sex once a week makes people happier than having sex once a month. As we said earlier, married couples have more sex.
What I’m trying to say is yes, married people tend to be happier.
3. Financial Benefits
Marriage can help bring financial security and stability to your household. This one is probably the easiest point to agree with.
Let me break it down for you:
- Joint Account: When you get married, most couples get a joint savings account. This allows you to pool your resources together and save for shared goals. That could be for a house, a trip, retirement, or anything else.
- Share Insurance Policies: Many insurance policies, such as health insurance, actually offer a discount for married couples. By combining policies, you can reduce your overall insurance costs
- Tax Benefits: Depending on your accountant, you may be able to file your taxes jointly to lower your tax bill. Also, in the event of one’s death, one can inherit the deceased spouse’s assets without paying estate or inheritance tax.
- Living Expenses: The most obvious one is that married couples typically live together. This means you’re paying half(ish) the living expenses you would be paying versus if you were single.
Research has shown that married individuals tend to be better off financially than their single peers. A higher household income, lower expenses, and having a partner to share financial goals with are likely the largest reasons why.
While marriage will likely bring financial benefits, it’s important to have open communication with your partner so that you are aware of each other’s financial situation, and goals.
Working together will ultimately help you both reap the benefits of marriage.
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Conclusion
In the end, marriage is much more than just a legal union between two individuals. It can bring a great deal of additional benefits such as increased happiness, health, and overall success in life.
The advantages married couples have seem to be evident.
And again, it’s important to remember that like anything else, marriage requires work. It’s not always going to be fun, games, and life hacks.
Divorce rates are higher than ever so it’s important to make sure you are marrying the right person and not rushing things. For more on healthy relationships, read here.
What are your thoughts on marriage?
(This was not legal, financial, or tax advice. You should always talk to a professional before making any major decisions.)
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Norbert Braun on Unsplash
