So, the research shows that women live longer than men. The dotted line in the chart below is the life of men, and the circle shows the women and how much longer they live. In Nigeria, poverty and disease are high and women and men are almost equal around age with life expectancy of 53 years. Russia is a more advanced country and the women live 10 years longer than the men. I was thinking how stats can be true, but not very deep and I wanted to write something that mixes reality with research.
Stats in photo from the website ourworldindata.org
There was an article that I read and it was interesting, because research showed that married men live on the average 17 years longer than single men, but another study showed that 34% of people in stressful marriages have an increased chance of having a heart attack. In most marriage I know, the wife cooks and keeps tabs on the health. The wife might be a constant reminder to exercise. I will add that kids, grankids, may keep you more active also. The study showed that single men tend to smoke, drink, have bad diets and have riskier lifestyles.
My aim is to identify the things maybe men aren’t seeing. The part of women that makes them live longer is not only because the way they were created but also in the way they handle stress. Could it be that a women are so emotional that dealing with stress is natural, because they let it out in ways that men don’t?
Crying could be a reason that women live longer. Men don’t cry. We hold things in. I write this and still think, I’m ok with my wife living longer, if I have to cry to release emotions to be healthier. Literally, it has to be in dreams that I can’t control.
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The good news is that we can live longer in a happy marriage, even if we can’t (or don’t want to) cry. We have to give credit to the good women, because we know that stressful relationships may cause us health problems. We have choices as men to live healthier lives. But often men’s mental health is something that is undervalued by most men. I’m not sure the answers need more research. It’s obvious to me that if men want to live as long as possible, we should be careful who we marry, take care of our physical health, find activities that are productive and to also take care of our mental health.
Diet, stress control and community, whether it be family, friendships and social network are key to longer lives. How does the emergence of social media affect this dynamic? Who knows? I’m sure that the research on life expectancy and digital health are coming!! For now, these are the important factors for all, but if you’re a single man, think about what might help you live and maximize your life. In the end, some men will choose to live a shorter life, to live life on their terms and consider it a success.
I hope this helps someone.
Sources
Why do women live longer than men?
Everywhere in the world women live longer than men – but this was not always the case. The available data from rich…
ourworldindata.org
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com