Men who keep putting off dropping to their knees to pop the question to their loved one, should rethink that.  The days of “sowing their wild oats” don’t hold a candle to the day you “tie the knot” setting in motion a higher probability of better health, a longer life and best of all, much more frequent sex.

According to a new research brief compiled by the Institute of Family Studies which sets out to debunk the ball and chain myth, marriage does a man good. 

Marriage improves health for men

Let’s start with improved health and longevity.  Several studies have found that married men are healthier than men who have never been married or whose marriages ended in divorce or widowhood.  The longer a man stays married, the higher his chances of living a long life compared to unmarried men. 

Why would marriage result in better health and a longer life for men? There are several reasons that have cropped up in different studies trying to crack the health code marriage appears to provide for men.  One is that marriage protects a man’s heart health.  Men who have never walked down the aisle were three times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than married men.  Research from the Framingham Offspring Study evaluated 3,682 men and found that married men had a 46% lower rate of death than unmarried men.  A psychologically healthy marriage appears to reduce stress, depression, and social isolation all which can help reduce cardiovascular disease.

Married men also really appear to benefit if they develop prostate cancer.  Scientists from a 1996 study published in the Journal of Urology looked at over 146,000 men with the disease and found that over a 17-year period, married men survived far longer – 69 months – than men who were separated or widowed – 38 months.

Mental health of men is another area where being married can have a positive effect on health.  Married men tend to have lower rates of depression and a higher satisfaction with life in retirement than men who are single.  Cognitive function also tends to improve for men who are married along with lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, improved blood sugar levels, and better outcomes for hospitalized patients. 

Married men have better and more sex

Okay, listen up men.  If you want to have an active and fulfilling sex life, get married.  We always see in the movies and on TV, single men having all the fun but the latest research shows unhitched men are not really having that much sex. 

A comprehensive study released in 2010 by the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, found that less than five percent of singles between the ages of 25 and 59 have sex two to three times a week.  Yet one-fourth of married people have five times the rate of sex compared to singles.  The report also found that 61 percent of singles hadn’t had sex within the past year, while only 18 percent of married couples said the same.

It’s always been thought that once a man gets married, there goes his sex life.  Married sex seems to be thought of as boring, routine, or infrequent. The sexual flame blows out once a ring is on the man’s finger.  Not true.  The reality is that for many singles, sex is much more sporadic and infrequent and is not nearly as pleasurable as being in a married relationship.

Why would married sex be hotter, more frequent and enjoyable?  Here are some reasons why:

·      It’s convenient.  You are no longer on the hunt, looking for love in all the wrong places.  When you are in a healthy and happy marital relationship, sex is there to be enjoyed by both partners.

·      Emotional intimacy.  Married couples, particularly couples who have been married for a long time, have built a trust together making them very adept at recognizing and sending out signals of emotional intimacy.  Pet names for one another, a knowing glance, a simple gesture such as a touch or smile, can set sparks flying long before jumping into bed. 

·      Deeper trust means more freedom to experiment.  As trust is carefully nurtured and built, married couples have fewer qualms about sharing erotic, sexual fantasies.  When divulging the intimate aspects of our secret desires, this sets the stage for mind-blowing sex often not experienced when single.

·      Freedom from fear.  As a single, there is always the concern of picking up a sexually transmitted disease.  Staying in a monogamous married relationship, takes away that concern bringing a great deal of peace of mind.

·      Feelings of love.  Men who are married to a woman who loves him are more sexually satisfied when they know their relationship is for the long haul and not just a one night stand. 

And like the romantic lyrics of Sammy Cahn goes:

“Love and marriage, love and marriage,

Go together like a horse and carriage.

This I tell you, brother,

You can’t have one without the other.”