Tie the knot and live longer
People who have never married are significantly more likely to die earlier, at all ages, than those who are married - and before those who are separated, widowed or divorced, even though so-called singletons often have healthier lifestyles. Those who have never married have a 58 per cent higher risk of an earlier death than those who are married and still living together, according to a University of California analysis of data from 80,000 Americans. Those separated or divorced have a 27 per cent higher risk of early death, and those widowed have a 39 per cent higher risk, medpage.com and WebMD report. The so-called never-married penalty 'rivals the risks of having increased blood pressure or high cholesterol'. Compared with married people, never-marrieds are: five times more likely to die of infectious disease; twice as likely to die in accidents, murder or by suicide; and 38 per cent more likely to die of heart disease. 'Evidence suggests that social isolation increases the risk of premature death,' the study says. 'Marriage is a rough proxy for social connectedness.'