As millions of lovers make plans for Valentine’s Day, there is one secret that could help them enjoy a longer, happier and healthier life together: marriage.

But many couples are missing out, as a measure of the overall health of marriage in the country shows it is at a record low – down from 85 per cent in 1970 to just 60 per cent today. (1)

Other research shows that, on average, married people also earn more, have greater wealth, and enjoy greater sexual satisfaction more often, so this is a secret that everyone needs to hear about!

All the evidence indicates that there is a genuine protection effect from marriage:
• Marriage makes people far less likely to suffer psychological illness
• Marriage makes people live much longer
• Marriage makes people healthier and happier
• Both men and women benefit, though some investigators have found that men gain more in the above ways
• Marriage quality and prior beliefs about marriage can influence the size of the gains.

The most comprehensive review of the impact of marriage to date, a study looking at 67,000 people over eight years, found that ‘the death rate for people who were unmarried was significantly higher than it was for those who were married and living with their spouses, and 'Among the not married categories, having never been married was the strongest predictor of premature mortality’. (2)

The latest studies, looking at the impact of nearly four decades of social change, also confirm that ‘married adults have made greater economic gains over the past four decades than unmarried adults’. (3)

So, if you want to inject some extra romance into your Valentine’s weekend and marriage is something you’ve been putting off, now you know the secret of what to do: ask them to spend the rest of their life with you – you’ll both be better off for it in every way that matters!

The UK Marriage Index and further information about the Jubilee Centre’s work can be found online at www.jubilee-centre.org



Dr John Hayward is Executive Director of social think tank The Jubilee Centre in Cambridge. www.jubilee-centre.org