Classic Rant #153 (December 15, 2009): Marriage Is Really Good For You

Well, I just knew it. That's why I did it twice.

According to a Reuters report, a major international study found that marriage reduces the risks of depression and anxiety, but these disorders are more likely to plague people once the relationship is over.

The study was recently published in the British journal Psychological Medicine. It was conducted in association with the World Health Organization (WHO), Harvard University and a number of other international organisations.

The study of 34,493 people across 15 countries was led by New Zealand's University of Otago, and is based on the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) surveys conducted over the past decade.

It found that ending marriage through separation, divorce or death is linked to an increased risk of mental health disorders, with women more likely to resort to substance abuse and men more likely to become depressed.

The study found that getting married, compared to not getting married, was good for the mental health of both genders, not just women, as previous studies had found.

However, the study found that men are less likely to become depressed in their first marriage than women, a factor Scott said was probably linked to the traditional gender roles at home, as other WMH surveys have shown that as women get better educated, depression rates tend to fall.

The other gender difference the study found is that getting married reduces risk of substance use disorders more for women than for men. This may be explained by the fact that women are usually the primary caregivers for young children.

However, the downside of marriage, the University of Otago study shows, is that ending it has a negative impact on both genders.

I guess the Tiger Woods of the world should pay great attention to this study. Fooling around like he did can not only harm his marriage, but it could lead to other problems for his wife and for himself.

My experience was that once I got it through my head that my marriage was over--and it took some time--I was ready to move on, and I did.

I met the greatest woman in the world, and she stuck by me though thick and thin. We have now been married for more than 16 years, have a great son (to go along with my great daughter from my first marriage), and our union is rock solid.

We have a mutual love and respect for one another that makes our marriage a terrific one. Whenever I see her after a day of work, or on the weekend, I just glow. I know how lucky I am to have this person as my wife.

Again, the Tiger Woods of the world, and all the other philanderers of both sexes, should really examine what they are doing when they get involved with another person, because when you say "I Do," it really means that.