Post Date December, 03 2023
Recently, a psychological study found that men trapped in marriage are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses than those who only cohabit with their girlfriends; For women, on the contrary, marriage is more conducive to their mental health than cohabitation. Even more surprising is that single women seem to have better mental health than those with partners.
A stable marriage is beneficial for mental health
The study, published in the British Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggests that elderly singles are the most likely to suffer from depression. A team of researchers from Queen Mary's College at the University of London, UK, conducted a survey of 4000 British men and women under the age of 65, and found that men and women who were able to carry out their first marriage or cohabitation relationship to the end were destined to benefit in later life, as they were the least likely to suffer from mental illness.
Researchers have found that if a partner's relationship breaks down, the risk of psychological disorders in both partners is greatly increased. Women are more vulnerable than men and require more time to recover. The survey also shows that women can live well without a heterosexual partner. Women who have never been in love rarely experience mental problems, while women who have been married or cohabited with a boyfriend are less fortunate. However, once women have a partner, marriage is more beneficial for their mental health than cohabitation.
Marriage is better for women than cohabitation
Research has found that women who cohabit are more likely to suffer from mental illness than married women, which may be because women who cohabit enjoy fewer rights than married women. Researchers point out that "lack of security is the main reason for poor mental health among cohabiting women." Relationship expert Paula Hall believes that this result is due to differences in the needs of men and women. Women need a sense of security. Because they have the responsibility to have children and the instinct to take care of and protect them, marriage is very important to them, while men do not value it too much. The stable family that women aspire to is like a cage to men. Therefore, they would rather cohabit than marry. From a female perspective, experts in the UK suggest that the country strengthen legislation to protect the rights of cohabiting women.
In fact, psychology experts have different opinions on whether marriage is only beneficial for women. Australian scholars believe that marriage can benefit both men and women. The survey shows that only one out of every eight married people has psychological problems; Among single individuals, this number has risen to 1/4. Among them, married women with children are the least likely to experience psychological problems. In the 1970s, research pointed out that marriage increases women's mental stress. But current research suggests that the pressure experienced by both men and women in marriage is generally greater. This indicates that with the progress of the times, the social roles of women are gradually changing. Even if their marriage fails, they still face many opportunities in life and work, so the pressure brought by marriage to women is relatively small.
Family Helps Men Relieve Stress
In another 7-year study, scientists found that married men and women are healthier than single individuals of the same age. This may be related to the generally supportive attitude towards marital relationships in society, or it may also be related to irregular single life and lack of care. British researchers found through a national census that the risk of death for married men is 9% lower than that of single men, while the difference between married women and single women is not so significant.
Psychologists believe that marriage provides men with a sense of security, which is beneficial for their health. We know that having someone who can speak confidences is important for maintaining both physical and mental health. One of the reasons for the health of married men is that they have someone to listen to their troubles, and single men lack this condition. Because men like to show their strong side to the outside world, the only person who can tell their troubles is usually their wife. Women have a relatively large number of speakers. Besides their other half, they can also have heart-to-heart conversations with their best girlfriend. Therefore, even single women have plenty of partners to confide in, and they won't feel sick just because they are single.
