Are people who are in love or into relationships healthier, stronger and more intelligent than those out of relationships or what people call singletons? If you ask the United States Department of Health and Human Services, it is an astounding yes. Strengthening marriage–that is now the centerpiece of the department’s media campaign.

There’s a catch though—a man’s sex life improves after marriage while, unfortunately for women, they tend to get depressed when they are in a long-term relationship. Whattah?

Another catch— marriage is simply not a strong factor in healthy and happy relationships. Studies show that only by living together, heterosexuals and… you guessed right, even those of same-sex marriages or arrangements also score health gains.

John Gallacher, a Phd researcher at the Cardiff University School of Medicine in Wales England in an interview with Health, says that a marriage license is not exactly a factor in bringing joy into a relationship, ” it’s a matter of the level of social support and mutual attachment,” says Gallacher in his recently published work.

Nonetheless, being in a relationship, whether thru marriage or mutual consent, has ten major benefits, according to research.

1. Longer lives. A 2007 research looked at death rates among Europeans over the age of forty and found that the rate is twice as high in unmarried men than those into married life. The study also revealed that if you want to live long, you should be with a partner especially if you are a man.
2. Disease-free. Marriage or relationships, studies show, impacts on a person’s immune system, making it stronger. Rates of diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, lung diseases and other chronic ailments tend to be lower in married persons than singletons. However, another 2009 study shows that married men are thrice likely to die due to cardiac arrest than singletons which, is not the same with women.
3. Less addiction to vices. Singletons are prime victims of illegal substances addiction than married ones.
4. Better sex— for men, studies show, not for women. In a landmark national sex survey conducted in the 1990s in America, 49% of married men said they were “extremely” emotionally satisfied with their sex life, compared to just 33% of men who were unmarried or not living with a partner. By contrast, only 42% of married women were extremely satisfied with their sex lives, compared to 31% of women who didn’t live with a partner. Dr. Pepper Schwartz a Sociologist at the University of Washington in Seattle says that the reason why women have lower sex drives is “because they often have resentment in inequities in domestic duties that still exist, [and] they feel they don’t get the appreciation they deserve.”
5. Women’s mental health improves. Wait a minute–not if she is in an abusive situation. A study by Robin Simon, another sociologist says that companionship impacts greatly on improving the mental health of women as they exhibit lower levels of depression.
6. Lower levels of stress. Married people
7. Lower blood pressure especially with women.
8. lower anxiety levels. A WebMd article says that researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook used functional MRI (fMRI) scans to look at the brains of people in love. They compared passionate new couples with strongly connected long-term couples. Both groups showed activation in a part of the brain associated with intense love.
9. Fewer colds– therefore possible defense against contracting the novel corona virus. Researchers at Carnegie Melon University found that people who are into relationships are less likely to get sick after exposure to the flu or cold virus (corona) while another study by the Psychosomatic Medicine said that more married couples are happy and calm compared with singletons.
10. Faster healing. Ohio State University Medical Center discovered that married couples tend to heal faster than singletons.

So there. After reading this article, don’t be surprised why you’re always sick if you are still a singleton and if your loveless friend always call in it a day– most times in a month.