Cohabitation Healthier than Marriage?

What’s the Latest Development?

New analysis of scientific data suggests that simply living with your loved one, without securing a marriage certificate, may be healthier than matrimony in some important respects. A national survey of nearly 3,000 men and women, which tracked the individuals’ emotional and physical health over six years, found that romantic couples living together, but not married, reported being happier and having greater self-esteem than their married counterparts.

What’s the Big Idea?

Married couples reported better physical health than cohabitants, perhaps due to benefits like spousal health insurance, the study reports. The larger conclusion, however, is that marriage is not as necessary to society as is sometimes thought. Gary Lee, professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said the study demonstrates it is ‘incredibly naive’ to view marriage as the solution to society’s problems. ‘In today’s economic environment, marriage does not bring the same financial benefits as it used it,’ he said.

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