New data confirms stable marriage is a key predictor of happiness in old age

An analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe data found that individuals born between 1945 and 1957 (baby boomers) who were in stable marriages experience greater well-being in old age compared to those who are single or in less stable relationships. Participants with lower education who have divorced showed even lower well-being. The study was published in the European Journal of Population.

Romantic couple relationships play a central role in adult life. A relationship with a romantic partner provides companionship, emotional security, and a sense of belonging. Through daily interactions, romantic partners influence each other’s emotions, behaviors, and life choices.

Supportive and stable relationships are associated with better mental health, including lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. They can also buffer the effects of stress by offering emotional reassurance and practical help during difficult periods.

High-quality romantic relationships are linked to better physical health, including lower risk of cardiovascular disease and improved immune functioning. Partners shape each other’s health behaviors, such as diet, physical activity, substance use, and adherence to medical advice. Conversely, conflictual or unsupportive relationships can increase stress, negatively affect mental health, and contribute to poorer physical outcomes.

Study author Miika Mäki and his colleagues note that well-being in old age reflects combined experiences over the entire life course. Previous studies indicate that marriage dissolutions have long-term negative implications on well-being and health that can persist even among those who remarry. Similarly, unstable partnerships and multiple relationship transitions or long-term singlehood are all associated with higher levels of depression and stress and lower social and emotional support.

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To explore this in more detail, these authors conducted a study in which they examined the links between well-being in old age and romantic relationship history. They hypothesized that individuals with stable marital relationship histories will experience higher well-being after age 60 compared to those with less stable relationship histories.

To explore this, they analyzed data from the SHARELIFE interviews of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). SHARE covers households with at least one member over 50 years of age in all EU countries, Switzerland, and Israel. The SHARELIFE interviews were conducted in 2008 and 2017. Respondents were asked to report, among other things, on their childhood circumstances and their romantic relationships, including all cohabitational, marital, and dating relationships.

This analysis was based on the data of individuals born between 1945 and 1957, who were at least 60 years old in 2017 (all part of the baby boomer generation). Data from a total of 18,256 participants were included in the analyses.

Analyses identified 5 general patterns of partnership history: stable marriage (a brief period of dating followed by a permanent first marriage), being remarried (getting married in their 20s and divorcing within the first 10 years, only to remarry in their 30s, with later marriages often preceded by cohabitation), divorce (the same as the previous one, but without a remarriage), serial cohabitation (dating and cohabiting prominent throughout the life course), and single (individuals who never lived with a partner, and many of whom never dated).

Most of the participants were in the stable marriage category, while the singles and serial cohabitation patterns were the rarest. Men were more frequent in the single category, while women were more frequent in the divorce category.

Further analysis revealed that individuals in the stable marriage category enjoyed greater well-being compared to all the other categories. This difference was present across all education levels. However, those with lower education who have divorced experienced even lower well-being in old age. Overall, results indicate that those with fewer resources tend to suffer more from losing a partner.

Study authors conclude that “…life courses characterized by stable marriages tend to be coupled with good health and high quality of life, unstable and single histories less so. Low educational attainment together with partnership trajectories characterized by divorce have pronounced adverse well-being associations. Our results hint at family formation patterns that may foster well-being and mechanisms that potentially boost or buffer the outcomes.”

The study sheds light on the links between romantic relationship patterns and well-being in old age. However, it should be noted that the study exclusively included individuals from the baby boomer generation. Given pronounced cultural differences between generations in the past century, results on people from other generations might not be identical.

The paper, “Stable Marital Histories Predict Happiness and Health Across Educational Groups,” was authored by Miika Mäki, Anna Erika Hägglund, Anna Rotkirch, Sangita Kulathinal, and Mikko Myrskylä.