Nothing non-traditional about benefits of marriage

Non-traditional….that’s how I am described at ASU on a regular basis.

I graduated high school and later married before most of the campus was born, and as a result I am often a sounding board when my colleague’s need relationship advice.

With Valentine’s Day here those questions have turned toward the competing views of being single or being married.

I find it interesting many attempt to out date marriage and to attack it as an antiquated format of ownership or religious indoctrination.

A common response is, “Why would I ever get married because it’s just a piece of paper?” But what if it weren’t just a piece of paper?
The validation of marriage is easily recognized by the impact it has on an individual.

Take for instance the research by Scott Haltzman, MD, a clinical psychiatrist and human behavior professor at Brown University and author of “The Secrets of Happy Families: Eight Keys to Building a Lifetime of Connection and Contentment.”

According to Dr. Haltzman, marriage has distinct positive impacts on an individual’s physical well being.

Haltzman reported in his research that “Ninety percent of married women who were alive at age 45 make it to 65, vs. slightly more than 80 percent of divorced and never-married women,” Haltzman said. “Mortality rates are 50 percent higher for unmarried women.”

According to his research the results are even better for men. “Men who were alive at 48 years old also had a 90 percent chance of reaching age 65 if they were married, but only a 60 to 70 percent chance if they were single — that’s a 250 percent higher mortality rate,” Haltzman stated.   
Familyfacts.org identifies a number of additional benefits to marriage beyond just those of health.

Those who enter into marriage have numerous economic benefits, as well as psychological well-being.

Married couples earn more thus they have greater savings, so they are much less likely to become impoverished.

 In conjunction “Family Facts” also shows that married couples enjoy more sex and greater satisfaction.

This obviously will be a surprise to a number of people, but the results are still the same.

Finally married couples were much less likely to experience drug and alcohol abuse or to deal with depression.

It is interesting there was no research available that said marriage was easy.

In fact there are countless articles, books, poems, stories and songs that would say just the opposite. Marriage is often difficult and requires a denial of self.

It provides opportunity for conflict, struggle, disagreement and frustration. Ultimately this is also the best arena to learn about sacrifice, caring, nurturing and the definition of true love.

This Valentine’s Day if you are single understand the value of finding your “happily ever after,” and if you have them, squeeze a lit bit tighter.


Ken Corbit is a senior Communication Studies Major of Jonesboro