How Keeping Your Spouse Healthy Can Help You Live Longer
The scientific phenomenon of the Widowhood Effect
Do you want to live longer?
Okay, that’s a stupid question. Of course, you do.
If you’re married, here’s an excellent way to help that happen. Make sure your spouse is as healthy and fit as you are.
Now, you might ask, “If I’m already healthy and fit, how will a fit and healthy spouse help me live longer?”
Well, if you have some years under your belt, you’ve probably witnessed this scenario more than once.
A spouse of an older married couple you know dies, and then within a short time, the surviving spouse also passes.
At first glance, we may think that this phenomenon is purely anecdotal. But it isn’t.
Social scientists actually have a term for this phenomenon.
They call it the widowhood effect.
One group of researchers have noted that,
“The increased likelihood for a recently widowed person to die — often called the ‘widowhood effect’ — is one of the best documented examples of the effect of social relations on health.”
