A new study, published in International Social Work, tracking over 7,000 Canadians, middle-aged and older, over a three-year period has revealed intriguing insights into the impact of marital status on aging. For their study, the researchers utilized data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which included 7,641 respondents ages 60 and older. The findings suggest that men who were married or became married during the study were twice as likely to experience optimal aging compared to their never-married counterparts.
In contrast, among women, those who had never married were twice as likely to age optimally compared to women who became widowed or divorced during the study. Interestingly, married women did not show a significant difference in optimal aging when compared to their never-married peers.
The researchers defined optimal aging as the absence of significant physical, cognitive, mental, or emotional issues that impede daily activities, alongside high self-reported levels of happiness, good physical health, and mental well-being. The study focused on the 40% of participants who were identified as aging successfully at the study’s outset.
The study also highlighted the importance of social connections and lifestyle factors in promoting optimal aging. Older adults who were not socially isolated, and who maintained regular contact with family, friends, and neighbors, were more likely to age successfully. Additionally, key habits such as maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, avoiding insomnia, and refraining from smoking were all linked to successful aging.
While it is not advised to get married for the sake of health or stay in an unhealthy marriage, the study underscores the importance caring relationships, social networks (not the internet apps), and healthy lifestyle as ways men can achieve better health into their later years. Also, as a side note, because women who are divorced or widowed have poorer health, with a healthier lifestyle and thus living longer, men can stay around longer and spare their partners of being widowed for a longer duration of time.
M Ho et al. The association between trajectories of marital status and successful aging varies by sex: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). International Social Work (2024). https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728241267791
