The Marriage Effect – the latest research!

I recently came across some fascinating research.  It turns out the married couples, that are essentially happy and are in a good marriage, get the benefits of something called The Marriage Effect which means that they are:

• More likely to live longer
• More likely to be physically and mentally healthier and happier
• And will recover from illness quicker and more successfully…

What was even more interesting to me was that happy couples who are living together in a committed relationship, but are not married don’t get the same benefits.  I haven’t yet found the definitive answer on why this is so but when I asked Harville Hendrix about it he thinks it has something to do with safety and security.  On some unconscious level, those committed but unmarried couples do not experience the same level of safety (one of our most profound human needs), which is why they don’t get to experience The Marriage Effect.

Harville also said that one of the reasons why couples who lived together for years (very successfully) but then got married and soon divorced, was because until we take sacred vows, the real work of marriage doesn’t emerge.  It doesn’t happen without the wedding.

So for those of you thinking about moving in with your beloved, this is something to think about……

One last piece of information that I found fascinating is this: A 2007 study found that the rate of death of single men over age 40 was twice as high than that of married men. (Guys, marriage is GOOD for you!)

Wishing you love, laughter and magical kisses,

Arielle