If you are a man and you want to live longer the answer, it seems, is simple. A recent study by German experts revealed that men who marry younger women enhance their chances of longevity. So, if you are a man go ahead and shack up with a woman 15-17 years less your senior. It my mean a longer lifespan and healthier future for you!
The analysis was conducted by a research group at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. The researchers looked at the deaths of the entire population of Denmark between 1990 and 2005. Danish men who marry women much younger than them live longer.
WHY?
One hypothesis that explains the increased rate of longevity is natural selection. It is possible that younger women choose healthier, better maintained older men as their marriage mates. Therefore, it is these types of men who are naturally taking care of their health and as such have a better chance of living longer.
A second idea, presents the notion that many men with considerably younger wives are rich. Because of their financial means these men enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle than average men, i.e., they have no worries about money, better access to regular medical checks, health cures, leisure, etc. All these factors contribute to a long life span.
Another theory, suggestd by Sven Drefahl of the Max Planck institute, points to the fact that a younger woman will care for a man better and therefore he will live longer. A younger spouse may also have a beneficial psychological effect on the older partner and provide them with better care in old age.
What about women?
The funny thing is the same results bode useless to our female friends. Women who marry men older or younger by seven to nine years increase their chances of dying by 20 percent. If the age difference is close to 15 to 17 years, the figure goes up to 30 percent. Increased stress has been speculated as the cause of early death for these women.
The good news?
Women have a higher life expectancy than men. The average life expectancy for a women is 82 compared to 78 for a man. Therefore, in the end it may just even out for us.
So, if there is a significant age difference between you are your honey, no need to fear, just keep on loving!
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