For its part, the benefits of being married are most noticeable in periods of crisis, says science.
Antagonistic dichotomies. Singleness versus being in a relationship. Which is better? Surely there are those who enjoy one thing or another. There must also be those who like both options, although of course not at the same time. So which one is the best, is a trick question, because it depends on each person. But science is less arbitrary and has the benefits of being in one condition or the other, based on the coldest scientific deductions. Let’s see:
Benefits of being single
1. They exercise more
Singles spend more time staying fit and practicing some sport than those who remain in a relationship, married or divorced. This is indicated by a study conducted in the United States by the Department of Statistics on a sample of more than 13,000 people between the ages of 18 and 64.
The benefits of singleness, according to science.
2. Better health
According to a study by the University of Texas at Austin, United States, 1.2 million Americans in the framework of the National Health Interview Survey between 1972 and 2003 and published in 2008, people who had never married had greater well-being and health.
However, another investigation, prepared in 2006 by experts Zhenmei Zhang and Mark D. Hayward under the name ‘Gender, the Marital Life Course, and Cardiovascular Disease in Late Midlife’, published in the prestigious Journal of Marriage and Family, concluded that single and divorced women have a higher risk of not overcoming diseases related to the heart and blood vessels, once they are over 50 years old. As for men, there was no evidence of a relationship between the risk of suffering from this type of ailments and singleness or dissolution of marriage. To reach these conclusions, a sample of more than 9,000 adults was taken and followed up for eight years.
Singleness has its benefits
3. Less fat
There are different studies that relate to being in a lasting relationship with a sedentary lifestyle. One of them was done by the Southern Methodist University of Dallas (United States) and published by the journal Health Psychology. After examining 160 newly married couples during their first four years of marriage, research showed that 60% of them had gained weight.
The main reason the researchers gave, led by Andrea Meltzer, is that in a happy marriage, the concern to attract the other disappears.
The benefits of singleness
According to other recent research, this time by experts from the Australian University of Queensland and published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine on a sample of more than 6,000 women, they gain an average of almost seven kilos at ten years of being immersed in a marriage or with a stable partner, which does not happen when they are single. If the arrival of a baby is added to the equation, the extra kilos are estimated at 10.
4. They have more facilities to find work
According to research conducted by the University of Chicago, singles have it easier to find a job than those who are married.
The results of the study showed that of the six million layoffs that materialized in the United States after the 2009 crisis, only 22% of these positions were occupied by married people (just over one million people), while the workforce ‘single’ was estimated at more than four million.
5. More sociable
Single people have a greater capacity to support their friends over time, increase their social network and see their friends and family more frequently than those who have consolidated a relationship or are married. This was revealed by a study led by Dr. Kelly Musick, a professor at the Faculty of Human Ecology at Cornell University in New York, in the framework of the National Survey of Families and Households (National Survey of Families and Households ), carried out on a total of 2,737 people, between men and women.
The benefits of singleness
6. They sleep better
A study by The Better Sleep Council on a sample of 542 people showed that people who do not have a stable relationship and, therefore, do not sleep accompanied, as usual, reconcile sleep better than those who go to bed every night with His couple. In fact, 63% of the people surveyed who maintained a relationship recognized that they tend to sleep as far apart from their partner when they share the bed due to the inability to fall asleep due to the movements of the other, their noises, snoring, etc. 26% of these, in turn, admitted that they sleep better alone than when they do it in the company.
7. Greater economic independence
Singles do not have to give explanations about where their savings are going to end and there can be a greater number of whims without having to have anyone’s approval. In fact, according to the study ‘The Role of Money Arguments in Marriage’ conducted on 1,700 women between 1988 and 2006 and published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues, it revealed that the greatest source of dissatisfaction of their marriage was due to disagreements that they were generated with the couple for financial reasons. At the end of the investigations, 966 of them had divorced their partner and all agreed that economic discussions had taken a toll on their relationship.
Other research done in conjunction with Forbes and The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) revealed that 80% of couples hide other issues related to personal or household economics from the same member. While they are more likely to hide bills and purchases of substantial securities, they hide their income figures and lie about their debts and bank accounts.
8. They divorce less
Singles who remain in that state over the years and, finally, decide to settle down and give in to marriage are more likely to maintain that marital status over time. That is, they divorce less. This is indicated by a survey conducted by one of the United States federal agencies specialized in statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The reason is that they are more selective with their potential partners and more aware of what marriage implies, after years of having lived without commitment and without giving explanations to a couple.
9. Deal better with loneliness and breakups
Singles who are satisfied with their situation, that is, those who do not allow social impositions to affect them, know how to make the most of the moments of solitude and not see it as an obstacle.
They also have a greater capacity to face ruptures with their potential partners through their implemented self-reliance and ability to overcome adversity. That conclusion came to a study by the psychologist Bella DePaulo after surveying the 1,200 people.
10. They care more about each other’s sexual enjoyment
According to an investigation conducted by the Match.com web dating portal to 6,000 people, single and married, 97% of respondents who acknowledged not having a stable partner said that, in terms of enjoyment, they prefer to satisfy first To your bed partner during sex you impose your own satisfaction. The data of the married ones were little significant, according to the portal itself, so it refrained from including it.
The benefits of being married are seen in crises, according to science
In an essay published by the US National Office of Economic Research in 2015, the controls of premarital happiness levels were raised. This essay on economics has some old-fashioned advice for people suffering from the stresses of life: finding a spouse who is also the best friend.
Social scientists have known from a long time ago that married people tend to be happier, but they debate whether this is because marriage is a cause of happiness or if, simply, it is more feasible for happier people to marry.
It is concluded that being married makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives than single women in particular during the most stressful periods, such as the crisis of the forties.
It is concluded that being married makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives than single women, particularly during the most stressful periods, such as the crisis of the forties.
In times of crisis, the benefits of being married flourish.
While there are fewer people who marry, the disadvantages of being single have broad implications. It is important because marriage is increasingly a force behind inequality.
Stable marriages are more common among educated, high-income people, and increasingly beyond the reach of those who are not. It seems that this division affects not only people’s income and family stability but also their levels of happiness and stress.
“It is possible that marriage is more important when there is that stress in life and when things are not going well”
Shawn Grover, Canadian Department of Finance
A quarter of today’s young adults will never have married by 2030, which would be the highest proportion in modern history, according to the Pew Research Center. However, staying single or divorcing is more common among less-educated, lower-income people. High-income educated women continue to marry in high proportions and are less likely to divorce.
Those who lead the most difficult lives could benefit from marriage, according to economists who produced the essay, John Helliwell of the Vancouver School of Economics and Shawn Grover of the Department of Finance of Canada. “Marriage may be more important when there is that stress in life and when things are not going well,” Grover said.
In times of crisis, the benefits of being married flourish.
They analyzed data on the welfare of two national surveys in Great Britain, as well as the Gallup World Survey. In a few parts of the world, even when life satisfaction was controlled before marriage, being married made people happier. This conclusion, however, was not true in Latin America, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Interestingly, marital happiness far exceeded the honeymoon period. Although some social scientists argue that levels of happiness are innate, so people return to their natural level of well-being after going through happy or sad situations, the researchers found that the benefits of marriage persist.
One reason for this could be the role of friendship within marriage. Those who consider their spouse or partner to be their best friend feel almost twice as satisfied with the marriage as others, the study found.
“The greatest benefits are produced in high-stress environments, and married people can handle the tensions of their forties better than those who are not married, because they share the burden and friendship”
John Helliwell of the Vancouver School of Economics
It seems that the effect of friendship was the result of living with a romantic partner instead of the legal situation of being married since it was very strong for people who lived together without being married. Women benefit more from being married to their best friend than men, although it is less feasible for them to consider their spouse as their best friend.
“What immediately intrigued me about the results was to rethink marriage as a whole,” Helliwell said. “Perhaps what is really important is friendship, and never forget that in the stretch and loosening of everyday life.”
Divorce was related to a 35% higher risk of developing heart disease.
The marriage has undergone a drastic change in the last half-century. In the past, as described by Gary Becker, the Nobel-winning economist, marriage was utilitarian: women were looking for a husband to have money and men were looking for a woman to run the home.
However, in recent decades, the roles of men and women have become more similar. As a result, the spouses have assumed roles as partners and confidants, particularly financially stable ones, as economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers have argued.
The benefits of marital friendship are more vivid in the middle ages when people tend to experience a dip in life satisfaction, to a large extent, because the greater pressure comes from the demands of the career and family. Married people, it is pointed out in the essay, have shallow dives, even in regions where marriage has no positive effect, in general.
“The greatest benefits are produced in high-stress environments, and married people can handle the tensions of their forties better than those who are not married because they share the burden and friendship,” Helliwell said.
Overall, research reaches an optimistic conclusion, to a large extent. People have the ability to increase their levels of happiness and avoid falling deeper into the crisis of the forties. finding support in long-term relationships. However, it seems that these relationships are less attainable for the less favored members of society.
Sources: New York Times, Fucsia.com, The Washington Post, Daily Mail