Heart Health
Consistent research has shown that being married is actually good for your heart. In one recent study out of New York University’s Lagone Medical Center, researchers found that married men and women had a five percent lower chance of cardiovascular disease compared to single people. Doctors aren't entirely sure why, but it's possible that since marriages typically offer a person emotional support, physical and intellectual intimacy, as well as deeper social ties to family, they might lower blood pressure and improve heart health overall.
However, another recent study out of Michigan State University plays devil’s advocate: It found that people in a bad marriage were actually more likely to experience negative cardiovascular effects, compared to people in good marriages. So it’s not necessarily about whether you’re married or not. It’s all about how happy it’s making you, and whether your relationship is healthy or strained.
“Married people seem healthier because marriage may promote health,” said Hui Liu, a Michigan State University sociologist who is an author of the study. “But it’s not that every marriage is better than none. The quality of marriage is really important.”
For single people, while you may not have the advantage of your risk of cardiovascular disease being lowered like your married counterparts, you can offset that with some other heart-healthy benefits of being single, like an increased likelihood to exercise, take care of yourself on your own, and surround yourself with close friends and family which can all act as stress reducers.