To Live Longer, Make Your Mate Happy

Society has long known that your choice of mate will have a powerful impact on your future. A new study at Tilburg University in the Netherlands sheds even more light on the importance of choosing a future mate wisely. Researchers followed over 4,000 elderly couples for eight years (Psychological Science, March 21, 2019) and found that “having a spouse who was more satisfied with life is associated with reduced mortality”—meaning that if your spouse is more satisfied with life and more positive, you are more likely to live longer! A related finding was that your spouse’s life satisfaction was just as strong a predictor of mortality (long life or short life) as your own life satisfaction. In the words of the researchers, “The present study showed that having a happier spouse is associated not only with a longer marriage but also with a longer life.”

God created marriage and gave guidelines for how to have a happy marriage. Psalm 119:165 states that those who love and live by God’s law, which includes loving others (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:36–40) have a great deal of peace. Happiness flows from keeping God’s laws, as well (Psalm 128:1–6). Jesus Christ taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Apostle Paul taught that “husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:28). It is interesting that thousands of years later, modern science is discovering the truth in these biblical passages. To learn more about God’s instructions for having a happier marriage, be sure to read or listen to God’s Plan for Happy Marriage.

Photo by Stannah-Stairlifts.com.