This from the New York Times:
Contemporary studies have shown that married people are
less likely to get pneumonia, have surgery, develop cancer or have heart attacks. A group of
Swedish researchers has found that being married or cohabiting at
midlife is associated with a lower risk for dementia. A study of two dozen causes of
death in the Netherlands found that in virtually every category, ranging
from violent deaths like homicide and car accidents to certain forms of
cancer, the unmarried were at far higher risk than the married.
Sounds great, but then comes the cautionary proviso that would ordinarily be in small print.
Several new studies, for instance, show that the marriage advantage
doesn’t extend to those in troubled relationships, which can leave a
person far less healthy than if he or she had never married at all. One
recent study suggests that a stressful marriage can be as bad for the
heart as a regular smoking habit.
two dozen (24) persons is to small of a group to draw any valid and reliable statistics from…and the researchers well knew the same.
in some instances, divorce is so stress relieving, especially once custody has been settled that it beats a good marriage from the statistics based on this one…
perhaps it is wisest to say living in harmony with all to the mutual benefit of all is the ideal.
obviously they were studying Swedish couples. anyone married to an American woman already has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. American women cause more stress and heart problems than any other women on Earth. They are a plague.
i agree with art 101%!!! i just hope we weren’t married to the same woman…smile…or maybe they were just psychological …and evil…”twins”. thanks, art!