Is Marriage Worth It? 10 Unexpected Reasons Why Married Men Live Longer (Backed by Science!)

So, here’s the deal: 21st century is a bizarre and scary place, but also an awesome time to be alive, especially for generation Y. We’ve got 24/7 information access, numerous gadgets and high technology, freedom to express ourselves and be whoever we want to be, and most importantly, we have no need whatsoever for old fashioned and traditional values and practices, like, marriage for example. Is marriage worth it?

Is Marriage Worth It In XXI Century?

Let’s look at some numbers for perspective. According to the Pew Research Center and multiple studies on marriage practices of millennials, around 26% of millennials get married in the age between 18 to 32, which compared to the Baby Boomers and the Silent generation is 11 to 20% less.

Around 22% of women get married by the age of 30, the rest either don’t get married or choose to have open marriages and open relationships. The same goes for men; the majority just doesn’t want to get married after they hit their 30s.

If you are a millennial reading this, chances are you won’t be getting married any time soon because of finances, studies, and career. Therefore, I believe you might need some help, so make sure to hop over to get college papers. For those wondering what on Earth is ‘wrong’ with millennials, keep on reading.

Millennials Are Ditching Tradition

The fact that as many as only 26% of millennials choose to get married is an excellent translation of what the new generation thinks of marriage. To millennials, marriage is an outdated, old-school and traditional institution, which is far from what they believe the ideal setting for romance and family is.

There is also simply no need for millennials to conform to an outdated tradition since the majority of them don’t agree with the notion of government marriage involvement.

Millennials think that marriage is merely a society’s highest standard and ideal that is forced upon them for the reasons of economy, proper division of labour and unified religious beliefs. Therefore, around 67% of millennials between the age of 18 to 32 express a viewpoint in which they state that society does not need marriage as a societal and cultural backbone, as well as that it is high time to embrace new ideas about love, romance, and family.

Let’s Not Forget About The Economy Of Marriage.

The news story about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest member of the House of Representatives, not being able to pay the rent for her apartment in D.C. sparked a national conversation.

At the age of 29, Alexandria is a Congresswoman as of recent, and working-class salary simply isn’t enough to cover her basic needs, like affordable housing. Her story is a spot-on depiction of the situation the majority of millennials have to deal with. They lack what they deem to be a fundamental and necessary marriage prerequisite; a solid economic foundation and a place to live.

Therefore, this story begs the question; if a 29-year old Congresswoman cannot afford to pay her rent, how does the society expect millennials to pay for a wedding, marriage expenses, and later on, to take care of their children?

This, eventually, might be one of the main reasons millennials have lost faith in marriage, as the institution itself requires much more from them than they can offer or afford. It doesn’t mean though that they stopped believing in the So, here’s the deal: 21st century is a bizarre and scary place, but also an awesome time to be alive, especially for generation Y.

We’ve got 24/7 information access, numerous gadgets and high technology, freedom to express ourselves and be whoever we want to be, and most importantly, we have no need whatsoever for oldfashioned and traditional values and practices, like, marriage for example, which doesn’t mean they don’t value the benefits of being in a healthy relationship.

Marriage Is Too Restrictive

Another reason why millennials are ditching traditional practices, like marriage, might be the fact that it is too restrictive, in its own sense. The Western world is witnessing the ‘destruction’ of the nuclear family and the imposition of progressive ideas because millennials don’t like restrictions and turn to freedom as the underlying belief.

And, when I say freedom, I mean sexual liberty and freedom of choice whether or not to get married or be in an open relationship, for example.

To millennials, traditional marriage is directly connected to Church and Christianity, or other religions, which would mean that if they get married, they would need to follow a strict set of rules that would characterize their marriage as holy in front of God. However, the majority of millennials are increasingly identifying as atheists, which means, no need for wedding bells in the Church, and no vows.

The simplicity of just being in a ‘relationship’ or just ‘sharing a place’ with a partner seems to be much more attractive to the modern generation than ‘happily ever after.’

Millennials Want To Experiment

Speaking of restrictions, traditional marriage doesn’t usually correlate with sexual experimenting and promiscuity. So, millennials rather turn to try out new things and changing partners then restricting themselves to a monogamous relationship with one partner.

To them, this is just boring. Our need to be entertained nowadays goes beyond music and movies; we also need sexual entertainment, so open and three-way relationships, and even open marriages seem to be the go-to of generation Y.

Millennials Are ‘Selfish’

The subtitle is pretty self-explanatory; millennials only ‘care’ about themselves. It might be deemed selfish, but the majority of millennials genuinely want to focus on their career development, financial independence, individuality, and self-exploration.

In 2018, millennials are two things: single and career-oriented. Not to mention the Tinder-hype, third-way feminism, progressive liberalism and other cultural foundations of the modern society the millennials associate with. Nevertheless, millennials have been called ‘selfish,’ ‘demanding’ and ‘entitled’ for one main reason; the things they would sacrifice for a career.

According to Comet, out of 364 survey participants, around 41% of millennials would end relationships if they were given a life-changing promotion; approximately 32% would leave a relationship if it meant getting a raise and 40% of millennials are single because they want to focus on their career.

So, there you have it. There is nothing wrong with millennials; they are just experiencing the consequences of transitioning to modern times and might be a little lost. However, it is important to point out that there are millennials who respect and value the tradition of marriage and want to get married.

There is no reason to be scared for this holy institution, but, there is a reason to be scared for the future in which millennials are going to live when taking into consideration the unfolding of the current political and cultural affairs of the world.

OK, these were the negatives. Let’s look from the other side, the most important one: your health. Perhaps one of the most popularly misunderstood things about marriage is its effect on the husband’s well being. Most people, both online and offline, will joke about how marriage is a prison of sorts for the men. There’s even a running joke about the real meaning behind the phrase “tying the knot.” It’s not positive.

10 Unexpected Reasons Why Married Men Live Longer

Despite all the negativity, however, science says that married men are happier than single men. Surprised? Don’t be. If you think about it, there are lots of things married men enjoy that single men never get the opportunity to experience. Here are 10 of them.

1. Regular Sex

Yes, this is a valid reason. Regular sex has been shown by studies to boost the health of a man immensely. That’s why married men are, on the whole, healthier than single men.

It’s a well-known fact that married men have more sex than single men, even if the single man is Casanova reincarnate. Actually, regular sex can make a man look up to 10 years younger! It gives the man better circulation and a certain youthful glow that tells everyone they’re getting it great in the bedroom!

2. Emotional Stability

Men have nothing like the robust emotional support networks that women have. When a man has strong emotions, he is more likely to keep them bottled up than express them. This is even more pronounced for a single man.

A married man, on the other hand, has the emotional support of their spouse. They can tell them about anything and are more likely to get an empathetic ear from their wife than from “their boys.”

3. Reduced Risk of Depression

This one is related to the emotional stability point. Single men are shown to have higher levels of depression than married men. This one, however, isn’t just restricted to single men. It also includes men who are in unhappy relationships. The perfect guard against depression is a happy relationship with the right person.

4. Lifespan

This is perhaps the surest sign that married men are having a better time. A study was conducted at Harvard that showed that married men tend to live longer than single men. As a matter of fact, they found a direct correlation between the amount of time a man stayed married and the increase in his lifespan when compared to that of other men his age. On average, married men live up to 7 more years than their single counterparts.

5. Healthier Eating

Home cooking has immense benefits for married men. Men who are in relationships will tend to enjoy home cooking a lot more frequently than their single counterparts.

Home cooking will help you avoid all the chemicals and excess calories you get from canned food and junk food. You’ll also reduce the amount of money you spend at the restaurant, which will be good for your mental health. Men who enjoy healthy home-cooked meals will tend to have slimmer waistlines and be less prone to obesity.

6. Higher Cancer Survival Rates

Single people have lower overall cancer survival rates. Why? Because they are less likely to get checked for the disease and less likely to bother seeking treatment once they have been diagnosed with it. This actually applies to both men and women. Married people, on the other hand, are more likely to get diagnosed earlier and seek advanced treatment, giving them higher survival rates.

7. It’s a Cure for Loneliness

My friend John Hendrickson, from BestEssays, puts it the best way. “Finding the right person cures you of loneliness you never even knew you had.” Loneliness is related to many psychological conditions, including depression and stress-related disorders. It also leads to weight gain, higher blood pressure, mental illnesses, and a shorter lifespan. Married men don’t feel loneliness as much.

8. It’s Easier to quit Addictions

Men who are addicted to smoking find it far easier to quit when they are in happy relationships with non-smokers. Single men have a harder time doing this. Overall, married men will tend to have more encouragement from their spouses, which builds up positive reinforcement and helps them quit.

9. Less Trouble with the Law

Men are overall greater risk takers than women. However, when they get married, the woman will tend to temper the man’s appetite for risk, and he will be less likely to engage in risky behavior, both health and law related. Married men are therefore less likely to do anything that will damage their health or land them in jail than single men.

10. Better Brain Functioning

Studies show that married men actually have lower chances of suffering from certain mental illnesses than their single counterparts. These include Alzheimer’s and dementia, among others. Despite numerous studies being conducted on the topic, it’s still not well understood why this is so.

These are only some of the reasons why married men are having a much happier time and living longer than single men. If you’re a single man, don’t stay single too long. The sooner you find your better half, the happier you’ll be!