Married people live longer than single people

Married people live longer than single people, and the gap in life expectancy between the two groups is growing, Webmd reported.

According to a new study by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2010 to 2017, the mortality rate for married women adjusted for age decreased by 7%.

"Not only is the rate for married lower, but it's declining more than any other group," said lead author Sally Curtin, an NCHS statistician.

A new study showed that the mortality rate among never-married fell by only 2%, while for divorced people it did not change at all.

Worst of all, the situation with widows - the mortality rate increased by 6%. According to the researchers, they have the highest mortality rate among all categories.

Married men in 2017 had an age-adjusted mortality rate of 943 per 100,000 people, compared to 2,239 for widowers. Mortality was 1735 per 100,000 for bachelors and 1773 for divorced men.

The mortality rate among married women was 569 per 100,000, which is two and a half times lower than that of widows - 1,482. The mortality rate was 1,096 for divorced women and 1,166 for unmarried women

Part of the marriage benefit could be explained by the fact that people in good health are more likely to marry, said Katherine Ornstein, an associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

According to experts, when you get married, there are many tangible and intangible benefits that are good for your health.

Being married also means you have someone looking out for you and reinforcing healthy behaviors, said Michael Rendall, director of the Maryland Population Research Center at the University of Maryland.

Married people are more likely to have health insurance, Ornstein said, and therefore, have better access to health care.

According to her, widows and widowers have to deal with mental pain, loneliness and financial stress. They no longer have a partner who looks after them, so they often neglect their health.

The study revealed some gender differences in trends. Although the mortality rate for married men and women fell by the same 7%, the overall mortality rate for women was much lower.