Marital States

It is hot news in every medium. People with a steady life partner are happier than those who live alone.

New research in Britain and the USA states that living in union with your partner will not only be beneficial to your health but will also benefit the health and well-being of your spouse and children.

Divorced, widowed or single people, it is believed, are a lot less happy, suffer from lower self-esteem and overall ill health.

Moreover, it is believed that single, divorced or widowed women are affected more by cardiovascular disease than their male counterparts.

Divorce, it is believed, has a positive effect on the male heart.

That got me thinking! Well I agree that women could suffer more, because for those who wear their hearts on their sleeves it's natural to have them fail when they are broken.

However, a recent study on older women with retired stay - at – home husbands also revealed that they were more prone to seek a divorce based on the repeated breaking of their hearts when the children were younger and he was fruitfully employed.

Many of my peers swear they have a happy married life but yet scratch the surface and the venom against the other half pours out.

On the other hand, others who have delayed tying the knot feel that they would like to stay foot- loose and fancy-free for some time to come before the real need for companionship kicks in.

Worst of all, other studies say that long-term low-quality marriages and unhappy couples that stay together because of the children have exactly the same effects as a divorced or widowed existence: higher level of psychological distress, low self-esteem and overall health problems.

And it does not end there. The children grow up to be low achievers with health problems of their own.

Now I'm well and truly confused. Is the state of marriage really good for us or does it promise paradise only to deliver hell on earth?

Married or single? You tell me what has worked for you. Honestly.