Abstract The positive link between marriage and physical and psychological well-being is
well established, but whether marriage is associated with social well-being is not. Using
nationally representative data from the MIDUS study (N = 3,032), the present study
examines the degree to which there are marital status differences in perceived social wellbeing,
to what extent marital histories affect perceived social well-being, and the degree to
which findings vary between social well-being and psychological well-being outcomes. We
find that married persons do not have a decisive social well-being advantage over unmarried
persons. However, married persons do have a significant social well-being advantage over
non-married cohabitors. Additionally, marital history matters little to the perceived social
well-being of our respondents. Comparisons with psychological well-being measures indicate
substantial differences in the effect of marital status on individual-level well-being.