Marriage As a Prescription for Better Health
The surprising benefits of marriage for your physical, mental and emotional health.
It's not strange these days for you to be harassed in the media about the gains of being single or the reasons why you shouldn't marry.
If you're not convinced about your decision to be married you're likely to think that marriage is old-fashioned and has no place in modern times. It's like it's no longer cool to be tied with a partner for the rest of your lives and this is worsened by celebrities whose stories of breakups make spectacular headlines.
Always, you’d hear in the news that so and so are parting ways because the relationship isn’t working anymore. As people who shape the thoughts of society, they do this without realising the impact such breakups have on their huge followers. It’s gotten to epidemic levels and society seem to have caught the bug such that the question you’re likely to ask when you listen to the news is - who’s next to break up?
The main reasons why people leave these relationships are that they are toxic and unhealthy. This has put me in the research mode and my query is quite simple; is there anything wrong with getting married?
So,I went digging for the positives of being married since I’m married and I’m happy being in the relationship. I searched to see the benefits of spousal relationships backed by research and not just anecdotal statements to enable me to have at least some bragging rights. Surprisingly, there are lots of studies that have reported the advantages of being in a marital relationship and reports that being in relationships helps to enhance physical and mental health, reduces stress and anxiety and acts as a form of emotional and social support for partners engaged in such unions.
Marriage has been linked to various health benefits, like lowering the rates of depression, longer life expectancy and overall physical health. Companionship, shared spaces and resources also contribute to better life outcomes for social animals. While these positives are found to be true for healthy marriages; the opposite effects were also be noted for toxic and problematic relationships. Having been married for close to twenty years, I see the benefits of being in a relationship contrary to views in the media. My finding is that if only spouses could work to make their relationships better and say more about the benefits of their unions society is likely to benefit more and become better. It’s also good to mention that some fellows are bold enough to say their views about the trauma that comes with being in toxic relationships which studies also show the negative impact such relationships have on persons involved in them especially the aspect of reduced life expectancy.
In terms of physical health, longitudinal studies followed through over long periods have shown that married couples present with reduced cases of both heart diseases and chronic illnesses, unlike their non-married counterparts. Due to their being in relationships, they tend to comply with their diet and exercise routines which results in a better quality of life.
Regarding mental health, married couples were reported to have a decreased likelihood of depression and anxiety. Being in relationships enhanced their well-being while coping tendencies and building resilience were reported to be higher with marital bonds.
Expectedly, on the social level, the role of spousal support in alleviating stress and acting as emotional support was higher among married couples. These help to boost the immune functions and speedy recovery from illnesses.
There are no absolutes in all these and you shouldn’t take my word for it because there are many marriages out there that are toxic -for the couples it’s like living in hell. Those in such relationships wish they never hooked up and these are the ones that people see and prefer to remain single. These are not the ones I’m talking about here. The ones that can offer these benefits are the ones in which the partners are ready to commit their time to improving the quality of the relationships and gauge the standing of their relationships regularly considering the socioeconomic, cultural and societal norms to assess how healthy their marriages are. It is these couples who are taking their health seriously and are bound to have surprising health outcomes as a result of their investments in making their marital relationships better. Prioritize your health as the only thing that is important in your life and you can do this by investing in your marriage. Going forward as you plan to invest in your medications, and diets, cut excessive alcohol, exercise or yoga try to consider prioritizing your marriage. Making that decision can improve your physical, mental, social and emotional health outcomes. Why not begin today if you’re not doing that already.
See you next time.
Emmanuel
