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Restless · 10-15-2003, 09:04 AM

BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #031015 - 10/15/2003
In Sickness and In Health: The Amazing Vow Power

Forty years ago, a study called the Hammond Report analyzed the smoking habits of half a million people. Its conclusion: Smoking is dangerous to one's health. It was a warning that ended up on every pack of cigarettes sold. Ten years later, a researcher took another look at the Hammond Report and found something that had been overlooked -- something just as hazardous as a pack-a-day cigarette habit -- that is, divorce.

As Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher write in their book, THE CASE FOR MARRIAGE, an enterprising Surgeon General might wish to slap a warning label on divorce decrees, reading, "Not being married can be hazardous to your health." Research is proving that those who get -- and stay -- married can count on much better health than those who don't.

How much better? Waite and Gallagher found that divorced, single, and widowed people
are "far more likely to die from all causes," including heart disease, stroke, car accidents, murder, and suicide. As for cancer, being married dramatically increases the odds of survival. "Even sick people who marry live longer than their counterparts who don't," they write.

This happens in part because when people get married, they typically adopt a healthier
lifestyle. Men especially give up what Waite and Gallagher call "stupid bachelor tricks." They give up drinking and driving, fighting at bars, and abusing drugs, they say. Wives not only discourage such behavior, they also improve their husband's health by cooking them healthy meals, encouraging regular sleep, and scheduling doctor appointments for them.

Nagging, of course, can be irritating, but it works an important benefit in marriage. Husbands can improve their wives' lives, for example, by encouraging them to give up smoking and to get regular exercise. The emotional support a spouse can supply means that spouses recover more quickly when illness strikes, and this emotional support boosts the immune system. Recent divorce, on the other hand, is known to lower immune functioning.

Even monogamous marital sex can help couples ward off illness. These health benefits come about because marriage seems "to provide individuals with a sense of meaning in their lives," according to Waite and Gallagher. A wife feels licensed to nag in a way that a girlfriend doesn't, precisely because both husband and wife know their lives are intertwined.

10-15-2003, 09:04 AM	#40
Restless Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 333	BreakPoint with Charles Colson Commentary #031015 - 10/15/2003 In Sickness and In Health: The Amazing Vow Power Forty years ago, a study called the Hammond Report analyzed the smoking habits of half a million people. Its conclusion: Smoking is dangerous to one's health. It was a warning that ended up on every pack of cigarettes sold. Ten years later, a researcher took another look at the Hammond Report and found something that had been overlooked -- something just as hazardous as a pack-a-day cigarette habit -- that is, divorce. As Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher write in their book, THE CASE FOR MARRIAGE, an enterprising Surgeon General might wish to slap a warning label on divorce decrees, reading, "Not being married can be hazardous to your health." Research is proving that those who get -- and stay -- married can count on much better health than those who don't. How much better? Waite and Gallagher found that divorced, single, and widowed people are "far more likely to die from all causes," including heart disease, stroke, car accidents, murder, and suicide. As for cancer, being married dramatically increases the odds of survival. "Even sick people who marry live longer than their counterparts who don't," they write. This happens in part because when people get married, they typically adopt a healthier lifestyle. Men especially give up what Waite and Gallagher call "stupid bachelor tricks." They give up drinking and driving, fighting at bars, and abusing drugs, they say. Wives not only discourage such behavior, they also improve their husband's health by cooking them healthy meals, encouraging regular sleep, and scheduling doctor appointments for them. Nagging, of course, can be irritating, but it works an important benefit in marriage. Husbands can improve their wives' lives, for example, by encouraging them to give up smoking and to get regular exercise. The emotional support a spouse can supply means that spouses recover more quickly when illness strikes, and this emotional support boosts the immune system. Recent divorce, on the other hand, is known to lower immune functioning. Even monogamous marital sex can help couples ward off illness. These health benefits come about because marriage seems "to provide individuals with a sense of meaning in their lives," according to Waite and Gallagher. A wife feels licensed to nag in a way that a girlfriend doesn't, precisely because both husband and wife know their lives are intertwined.