Is Marriage Bad for Your Health?

This is one of those blog posts that I pretty much know is going to get me in trouble! I'm engaged to get married and my lovely fiancée is a delightful woman. So let me make this disclaimer, I am not saying I don't want to get married!! This is just an interesting topic that came up on a 'boy's night out' this weekend where all but 3 of the said boys were single. They were ribbing the one married guy over him leaving early and warning myself and the other engaged guy that our future was more of the same. One of them just came out of a bitter divorce and is adamant that marriage is bad for your health. This of course prompted a light hearted discussion, but it got me thinking.. do bachelor's live longer than married men?

I took to the internet, and while I am pretty sure Google can't be considered scientific in terms of research, I did come across a study from the Institute for ClinicalEvaluative Sciences and bachelor boys I have some bad news for you all! It turns out that the love of a good woman actually CAN be good for your health – exceptionally so! The study indicates that men who are either married or in a long term common law relationship are much less likely to die from a heart attack or a stroke and on average they will live longer than single men.

The study wasn't able to prove beyond a doubt that it was marriage that was the key factor in the better health, but suggests that perhaps it is because women are natural caregivers and look after their men. Hear that woman? Ahem I mean excuse me dearest... can I have a cup of tea?