Are Married Couples Happier?

In their recent (2000) book The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially, family scholars Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher answer with a resounding yes. Synthesizing hundreds of cross-disciplinary studies, the authors investigated the effects of marriage on a broad cross-section of the population. Their conclusion? Married people tend to be healthier, live longer, have more wealth and economic assets and have more satisfying sexual relationships than singles or cohabitating couples. They also concluded that children do better both emotionally and academically when raised in two-parent families. Below are some examples of their findings.

Married individuals tend to avoid more harmful and risky behavior than do single, divorced or widowed persons. For example, married people have lower levels of problem drinking, which is associated with car accidents, interpersonal conflict and depression. In general, married people lead healthier lives in terms of eating, exercising and avoiding harmful behaviors.

Married people live several years longer than do single, divorced or widowed individuals; perhaps because they have the emotional support of a partner and better access to health care.

Over half of married males and nearly half of married females reported being "extremely satisfied" with their sexual relationship. The rates were less for cohabitating couples. The frequency of sex was also higher in married couples than with cohabitating or dating couples.

In terms of finances, because married couples can pool their economic resources, they tend to be wealthier. In fact, the median household net worth was $132,000 for married couples, $35,000 for singles, $42,275 for widowed and $33, 670 for divorcées.

Children from two-parent homes tend to do better emotionally and academically. As teenagers, they are half as likely to drop out of school, they have higher grades and they are less likely to get pregnant. Children from two-parent homes also tend to receive more parental attention (supervision, help with school work, quality time) than do children from single-parent homes.

Other recent studies confirm Waite and Gallagher's conclusions. Professor Bruno Frey, of the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, is the co-researcher of a study into the relationship between happiness and marriage which surveyed 15,000 people over 17 years. According to Frey, even if half of marriages end in divorce, actually tying the knot is better than living in a de facto partnership or remaining single. "To be married really contributes to happiness."

"The reason I see that is that people expect a stronger sense of commitment which they like and just to have a partner is obviously considered to be something else."

So what?
Even though the marriage rate is down and people are delaying marriage longer than ever before, the spirit of marriage (even remarriage) in America is alive and well. If you are currently married, work to keep your marriage healthy. If you are single (never married, divorced, single parent, widowed), and wish to marry, take care of yourself; healthy people help create healthy marriages. If you are single and do not wish to marry, still take care of yourself (and your children). Develop a network from which to draw strength and support. Finally, happiness has a strong spiritual component. A strong faith leads to healthy relationships.

Live and love well.

Dr. Jeff Parziale is the director of InStep Ministries, which provides resources, counsel and support to singles, single parents and stepfamilies. Dr. Parziale is an author, speaker and counselor. To learn more about InStep, see their website: www.instepministries.com or call 721-0800. .