Marriage, while not without its headaches and challenges, is filled with joy, happiness and comes with a built-in best friend. As if all the endorphin-boosting happiness you share with your partner isn’t enough, studies show that marriage can also lead to better heart health.
Analysis of over 30 studies conducted separately between 1963 and 2015 included more than 2 million people aged 42 to 77 were included in the results from throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
“The data showed that people who weren’t married were at a 42% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 16% higher risk of developing cornorary artery disease compared to married people,” Time shares from the results of the study.
In addition, to better heart health than single people, married people are also less likely to suffer from strokes.
“Unmarried people were also 43 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 55 percent more likely to die from strokes, researchers report in the journal Heart,” according to Reuters.
Part of the reason for the improved health status of married couples is that there is often more support both financially and socially, taking into account that there is always someone to help you stay on track with your medications and recoveries, even if it means nagging and being a pain your ass.
“For example, it is well known that patients are more likely to take important medications after an event such as a heart attack or a stroke if they are married, perhaps because of spousal pressure,” senior study author Dr. Mamas Mamas of the University of Keele in the U.K. told Reuters. “Similarly, they are more likely to take part in rehabilitation which improves outcomes after strokes or heart attacks.”
A word of advice, if your friends are the type who often find themselves saying, “I’m going to die alone,” you might want to steer clear of breaking this news to them.
