“Long-term, stable marriages are associated with lower mortality risk, but simply staying married for decades does not automatically improve health – especially if the relationship is chronically stressful or emotionally disconnected,” Markus said.
Here are a few ways relationship status may affect health and wellness.
How being married might improve health
Heart disease
People who are married have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, stroke and death from heart disease, compared with those who are unmarried, including those who are divorced or widowed, said Lauren J. Hassen, a cardiologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Again, this may be because being married is a proxy for social support, “and we know that social support may buffer health-related risks and outcomes, including cardiovascular disease”, said Kim Smolderen, a professor of medicine and psychiatry and co-director of the Vascular Medicine Outcomes programme at the Yale School of Medicine.
Markus recalled that early in her career she treated a man who had a major heart attack right outside the emergency room door. “It turned out he had been complaining of chest pain for hours, and his wife had been urging him to go to the hospital the entire time while he insisted he was ‘probably fine’,” she said. Remarkably, she said, he survived. “Had he waited even a little longer, the outcome likely would have been very different. His wife’s persistence very likely saved his life.”
Mental health
A fulfilling marriage can also positively impact mental health through companionship, emotional and financial support, increased feelings of stability, and building a life with someone you deeply love, said Mitchell Hale, a therapist at Sawtelle Psychotherapy Group in Los Angeles.
“These dynamics allow for the cultivation of joy, intimacy, laughter and other positive emotions and experiences in our daily lives,” he explained.
The ingredients that make relationships successful – respect, honesty, effective communication and emotional regulation skills – are the same in marriages and committed relationships, Hale said.
Men seem to benefit more from marriage when it comes to their health than women, according to Markus. This may be because risky behaviours in men tend to decrease when they get married, and wives often take on more of the health monitoring and emotional labour in heterosexual relationships than they receive, she said.
It’s also worth noting that most of the research that’s been done on marriage and health takes only opposite-sex relationships into account, Smolderen said. More research is needed to find out whether these benefits also occur in same-sex relationships, she added.
Cancer
According to a 2026 study, being married is linked to a lower risk of cancer. Researchers analysed eight years of data across 12 states, totalling 103.7 million people, to examine the connection between cancer risk and marital status. Men and women who were never married had a higher incidence of cancer than those who had been married at some point.
While marriage itself doesn’t directly prevent cancer, it appears to have an effect on social, behavioural, reproductive and healthcare-related factors, according to study author Paulo S. Pinheiro, a professor of cancer epidemiology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.
“One way to think about it is that marriage may provide an informal ‘health manager’ – a partner who can help moderate behaviours such as smoking or alcohol use, encourage healthier habits and prompt engagement with preventive care and screening,” he said.
Cancers such as cervical, anal and oral showed some of the largest differences by marital status, Pinheiro said. This may be because married couples tend to prioritise preventive care, including routine screening (like Pap smears), and are more likely to follow up on abnormal findings.
Being married also probably means you have fewer sexual partners. Pinheiro said that reduces your exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), an infection that can cause these cancers.
Not every marriage is good for your health
Marital stress is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in women. Photo / 123rf
While a supportive partnership can act as a biological safety net, a high-conflict one may have the opposite effect.
Indeed, there’s evidence that the quality of the marriage is key, Smolderen said, with high levels of emotional support being associated with better levels of cardiovascular risk markers, such as inflammation, heart rate variability, blood pressure and heart rate.
On the other hand, marital stress is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in women, Hassen said. “Dissatisfaction and poor marriage quality have been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and even cardiovascular mortality,” she added.
Unhealthy relationship dynamics can also take a mental toll. Compared with healthy marriages, “high-conflict or chronically stressful marriages are linked to poorer sleep and higher rates of anxiety and depression”, Markus said.
Relationships with domestic abuse carry a higher risk of physical and mental harm and lingering trauma symptoms, and marriage can potentially increase barriers to leave unsatisfying or even dangerous relationships, Hale added.
Being unpartnered could also have some health benefits. Research suggests that those who are single have more time to dedicate to exercise and sports, which can have a positive effect on their health. Having a good social support system, even outside the romantic context, is also protective in terms of heart health, Smolderen said.
Additionally, there’s a connection between happiness and longevity – so being single and happy might even translate to living longer.
For both married and unmarried people, strong friendships, close family relationships, community involvement and emotionally supportive social networks are all associated with lower mortality, better mental health, improved immune health and greater resilience during stress, according to Markus.
So while yes, tying the knot is associated with certain health perks, being happy with your situation and filling your life with supportive relationships is paramount for good health and happiness, no matter your relationship status.