How Does Marriage Affect Physical and Psychological Health? A Survey of the Longitudinal Evidence
Open accessAbstract
This paper examines an accumulating modern literature on the health benefits of relationships like marriage. Although much remains to be understood about the physiological channels, we draw the judgment, after looking across many journals and disciplines, that there is persuasive longitudinal evidence for such effects. The size of the health gain from marriage is remarkable. It may be as large as the benefit from giving up smoking.
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Committed, stable marriages conduce to happiness and well-being on a variety of standard measures.
“committed, stable marriages conduce to happiness and well-being on a variety of standard measures (Wilson and Oswald 2005).”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Wilson and Oswald 2005
A successful marriage is one of the greatest predictors of robust well-being, boosting physical and emotional health, self-reported happiness, and longevity.
“And indeed a successful marriage is one of the greatest predictors of robust well-being that we know of, boosting physical and emotional health, self-reported happiness, and longevity just to start (Wilson and Oswald 2005).”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Wilson and Oswald 2005
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SOCIAL TIES AND MORTALITY IN EVANS COUNTY, GEORGIA
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“Schoenbach et al (1986) attempt a similar study with different social measures, which they argue are more appropriate.”
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- Authors
- Wilson, C. M., & Oswald, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Loughborough University (GB)
- IZA - Institute of Labor Economics (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Oswald, Andrew J.
- Venue
- SSRN Electronic Journal
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005
- ISSN
- 1556-5068 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2146840624
- Cited by
- 191
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 11
- Type
- posted content
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- marriage, physical health, mental health, marital relationships, physiological mechanisms, longitudinal evidence
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