A Harvard University Study, published by the  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2005; 59:56-62), looked at the question “Is Marriage Good for Men?” Here were the results:

The effects of marriage termination were observed, whether through death of a wife or divorce, and remarriage on more than 40,000 men who were between 40 and 75 years old when the study began in 1986.

Results show men whose wives had died:

  • consumed greater amounts of alcohol
  • cut down on the amount of vegetables they ate.

However, widowed and divorced men who remarried

  • Increased their vegetable intake
  • Reduced the amount of alcohol they drank.
  • They also consumed more lean poultry
  • And consumed fewer sugary drinks.

But it wasn’t all good news. Men who remarried:

  • Put on weight
  • Cut back on the amount of time they exercised.

Overall, the investigators believe remarriage benefited the men’s health.