Till death do us part

Is being single bad for your health, or will it make you live longer?  Online theorists believe single women live longer than married women, while men live longer when married.  

To figure out whether this theory is correct, health insurance comparison service iSelect created a new study to discover how marriage impacts the health and well-being of couples in Australia and the US. We wanted to find out whether there is a correlation between marriage and health, and the long-term relationship’s impact on health.  

How marriage changes exercise habits 

We’ve all heard the narrative that getting into a relationship often means gaining a little healthy relationship weight from the many romantic dinners, sweet treats and edible gifts. But does marriage impact how often people exercise? Let’s find out! 

Relationships and exercise in the USA 

The people who fluctuated the most with their exercise habits after marriage were those who went to the gym 2-4 and 5-6 times a week before marriage. Couples who exercised once a week increased their habits after getting married, while those exercising every day maintained that level of commitment post-nuptials.  

Men, averaging 3.77 days a week, reduced their gym-going habits by 7.16% to 3.5 days, while women, averaging 3 days, saw a 6.6% drop to 2.81 days after marriage.  

Exercise habits vary by age group, and across all age brackets, we saw a decline in exercising after marriage, 24-35 year olds (3.27 days to 3.13) saw the biggest drop compared with 35-44 year olds (3.58 to 3.54), who saw the smallest decline.  

Relationships and exercise in Australia 

In the USA, couples tend to change their exercise habits after marriage. However, Australian couples increased their habits more than those in America. Couples that went to the gym every day before their weddings continued doing so, while people who went once a week increased by 67%.  

While men saw a decrease in gym attendance post-marriage, women, on average, increased the amount they exercised each week after tying the knot. Particularly, those aged 55-65 (2.95 days per week to 3.17) saw a significant increase, while 25-34-year-olds (3.37 days to 2.77) decreased their activity after getting married.  

Is being married bad for your health? 

Marriage not only impacts exercise habits, but many important factors of health and well-being, from sleep quality and diet to emotional support and stress. Which is exactly what we measured to answer the question: Is being single better for your health? 

Does marriage help you live longer in America? 

Our study found that after tying the knot, 30% of American men said they sleep better, and 26% make healthier food choices grounded in medical advice. For women, only 20% sleep better, and 18% make better diet decisions. 23% of married American women experience more stress post-marriage compared to 17% of men.  

There’s a close split between women and men who felt more proactive about preventative health after getting married (27% of women and 23% of men). For both genders aged 18-54, the most positive health outcome from marriage was feeling emotionally supported and regulated. For couples aged 55-65, the most positive outcome was having more regular check-ups with health professionals.  

Does marriage help you live longer in Australia? 

There’s a wider difference between married men and women post-marriage in Australia. Forty per cent of men feel more emotionally supported compared to 35% of women, while 28% of men feel more proactive about preventative health than 20% of women.  

Sleep quality increased for 27% of men after marriage, while only 15% of women reported better sleep. When it came to food choices, 27% of men said they made healthier food choices compared to 16% of women. 

The only factor that saw a higher percentage of women than men (21% versus 19%) was that they experienced more stress post-marriage, similar to those in the US.  

Exploring the caretaking gap

Caring for your partner’s health often happens just as much as caring about your own health, but there’s a gap in caretaking duties in married couples.  

In the US, 62% of men and 47% of women prioritise their partner’s health over their own post-marriage, but 79% of men went to a health professional because their partner insisted, compared to 52% of women.  

Similarly, in Australia, 54% of men said they prioritise their partner’s health more, with 38% of women saying the same, yet 73% of men, compared with 50% of women, went to a medical professional because their partner insisted.  

Does marriage impact our time for self-care? 

With marriage comes plenty more responsibilities, and usually a lot of life changes, but does poor mental health and marriage have any correlation? 

The results across the US and Australia, which are incredibly similar, show women experience much more stress post-marriage than men, and that they feel they have less time for self-care compared to men. Thirteen per cent of American women and 14% of Australian women said they felt emotionally drained more often after marriage, compared with 7% of American men and 12% of Australian men.  

In America, married men (55%) reported having less time for their health and well-being than women (52%), but in Australia, the split was a more even (52% for men and 45% for women). Yet the feeling of having less time for their own health and well-being seems to decline with age in both countries (67% among 18–24-year-olds versus 36% among 55–65-year-olds).  

The impact of partner interest in health on relationship dynamics

Across both countries, couples shared how their partner’s interest in their health has had a positive impact on their relationship dynamic. However, this positivity seems to decline with age across both countries.  

In the US, 50% of men compared to 37% of women said they often delay seeing a health professional to avoid worrying their partner, a trend most prevalent in 25-34 year olds and 35-44 year olds (60%), while 85% of 25-34 year olds said they have been urged to see a health professional by their partner.  

The same story is told in Australia, with 48% of men and 29% of women reporting that they have delayed seeing a health professional to avoid worrying their partner, with 73% of men and 50% of women having gone to a health professional because their partner insisted. Both habits decline with age, just as in the US, which can be put down to life experience, as older couples are more competent and emotionally able to deal with health-related scares and situations than younger couples, reducing their need for support from their partner. 

Your health should come first, married or single 

Our research suggests that while marriage can influence health habits, it’s dependent on the individual circumstances and relationship dynamics, not to mention how life events can impact health and well-being.