Is there something unique about marriage?

A recent study in the US found that married individuals have greater levels of satisfaction with life and less depression than single individuals. Furthermore, higher marital quality was associated with lower blood pressure, lower stress, less depression, and higher levels of satisfaction with life. For those with a low quality of marriage however, single people had a lower level of blood pressure, on average.

Clearly, marriage is of great benefit, but the benefits are much greater when you put the time and effort into creating a "high quality" marriage. We hope that our website helps!

Reference: Holt-Lunstad, J., Birmingham, W., & Jones, BQ. (2008). Is there something unique about marriage? The relative impact of marital status, relationship quality, and network social support on ambulatory blood pressure and mental health. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1, 1-6.