Married people have better mental and physical health than their unmarried peers and are less likely to develop chronic conditions than their widowed or divorced counterparts, according to a new study.
A University of Missouri expert said that people who have happy marriages are
more likely to rate their health as better as they age; aging adults whose physical health is declining could especially benefit from improving their marriages.
Christine Proulx, an assistant professor in the MU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, examined the long-term relationship between self-rated health and marital quality.
She found that, in all stages of marriage, positive or negative relationships affect the individual's health.