Definite Benefits of a Happy Marriage

While many Western societies are rejecting traditional marriage, science continues to prove its value. WebMD.com reported in November on a new study from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, that has demonstrated that, among those under age 55 who experience a heart attack, those with happy marriages had a better recovery, while “those who had the most stressful marriages were more likely to have more frequent chest pain or be readmitted to hospital in the year following their heart attack.” When compared to people in many other categories, those with unhappy marriages had the worst recovery from heart attack of any group. Those reporting moderate to severe marital stress were 67 percent more likely to report chest pain and nearly 50 percent more likely to be readmitted to the hospital (Independent, November 1, 2022).

Results from another recent study, this time from Michigan State University, discovered that the primarily female hormone oxytocin may actually help regenerate heart cells (Independent, September 30, 2022). Oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the “love chemical,” is produced when two people show affection towards each other. It is also released when a mother breastfeeds her baby and during labor. Scientists are learning that exposure to the chemical may increase healing after a heart attack—and this hormone is far more prevalent in those with happy marriages!

God is the author of marriage, and He designed it to bring physical and emotional blessings. Those blessings come when a husband and wife work together to have a godly, happy marriage. To learn how to have such a marriage and experience more of these blessings, be sure to read or listen to God’s Plan for Happy Marriage.