You probably already know that married people on the whole are healthier, wealthier and have more satisfying sex lives than singletons or divorced people. You also already know that, absent some serious conflict, your kids would probably prefer it if you stuck together. And even if you were to split, whoever you married next would probably have equally annoying habits as your current spouse. So herewith, five reasons to get or stay married you probably haven’t heard of.
5 New Reasons to Get (or Stay) Married this Year
New figures, just out in December from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), looked at the comparative health of children in all types of living situations. Those who lived in the same home as their two parents (technically, they didn't have to be married, but they had to be together) had lower rates of a whole litany of ailments, including asthma, vision problems, developmental delays, ADHD and migraines, even when wealth and education were factored in. The only malady the CDC found more prevalent among the children of married parents was allergies. At the other end of life, a separate study showed that elderly people whose parents were divorced had twice the risk of stroke as people whose parents stayed together. We're talking the loooong tail. Next: Reputation: Divorce is Big Business for Bloggers SPECIAL REPORT: See Healthland's Full Guide to Life in 2011