Married Or Single? You’ll Remain Equally Healthy

Long emphasized that marriage benefits health, a new research at the Michigan State University now claims that singles, too, are catching up when it comes to good health.

"Married people are still healthier than unmarried people," lead researcher of the study, Hui Liu said.

"But the gap between the married and never-married is closing, especially for men," the findings to be published in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior highlight.

Checking for relations between marital status and health, the researchers analyzed a 30-year data (1972 to 2002) from the National Health Interview Survey which maintained records of over 1.1 million adults ages 25 to 80; married, widowed, divorced, separated and never-married.

Though, the self-reported health of married people is still better than that of the never-married, the gap is closing considerably, the researchers found.

Also, the health status of the never-married improved for all race and gender groups: men, women, blacks and whites, the researchers claimed.

Moreover, while the health of married men remained stable over the three-decade survey, the health of married women is also improving, the researchers found.

Further, the research shows that the health status of the never-married has improved for all race and gender groups examined: men, women, blacks and whites. The health of married women also improved, while the health of married men remained stable.

While earlier a greater access to social resources and support were found in a spouse, changing trends have made even never-married men be more health aware.

"Modern men don’t need a wife to tell them to eat their vegetables and go to the doctor," according to a new findings.

Moreover, singles have more time to exercise than their married counterparts, the survey claims.

So guys, are you getting to the deeper meaning? Another excuse to stay single?