A messy divorce might feel like it’s taking its toll – and it probably is. Researchers looked at almost 165,000 people over the age of 65 and found that married men could expect to live two years and four months longer than divorced men. For women it was one year and three months.
Those who had been widowed or never married had similar life expectancy to those who were divorced.
Researchers have theorised that rather than the stress of divorce being responsible, this might be because a lack of contact with others increases your risks of dying at a younger age.
But also there’s a ‘nag factor’ involved. Married people tend to have someone who prompts them to seek medical attention for that cough that just won’t go away, or the dodgy mole on the back of their leg, meaning they’re more likely to catch life-threatening diseases earlier, when they’re more treatable.