Can Marrying Someone Younger Make You Live Longer?
Study shows that men with much younger wives live longer. Are cougars onto something?
We all know many men are turned on by younger women. Lucky for them, many women like older men as well. So when a few, or even several, years separate a loving couple, no one really bats an eye. When that age difference creeps closer to 10 years, however, a few minds might wonder what they have in common. And if it's 15 or 20 years, the heads definitely start turning and the eyes rolling. Read: How To Become A Kept Woman
Many silently (or publicly) judge these couples—assuming that they are usually searching for something other than love. But a recent study out of Germany has us wondering if they're on to something.
The study, which was based on the death rates of the entire population of Denmark between 1990 and 2005, says if a man's wife is 15-17 years his junior, his chances of dying are cut by 20 percent. It goes on to say that men benefit from having younger women rear the children and put food on the table. Read: Career And Family: Can We Really Have Both?
Twenty percent is a lot, as is an age difference of 15-17 years, so we have to look at this study carefully to know whether men are maybe doing the right thing when going after trophies rather than contemporaries.
The idea that a much younger spouse would benefit someone makes a lot of sense. The younger person would be more inclined to sexual activity, which benefits health, not to mention other physical and mental abilities that would keep a spouse "young."
An important function of having a younger spouse could be that it provides someone to take care of the other in their old age, thus making that period last a little longer. Watch: Dating Older Men
The problem with the study, however, is that it did not say a younger spouse, but rather a man with a younger woman. Now we all know the evolutionary reasons why older men and younger women are attracted to each other. That is why those types of relationships occur more often and are easier to study, but that does not mean that a woman would not benefit in the same way from a man who is younger.
Essentially, it appears that marrying someone younger could help both men and women live longer. This could be a good sign for cougars if they walk down the aisle with one of their young pups. But the reality of the situation is that while a few more years might be extended to one's life, marrying someone who is 15-17 years younger means a lot less time to be together. Read: Five Reasons Being A Cougar Rocks
So, if you're already at an older age and looking to marry, looking to a younger set could help you live longer. Of course, we also know that unhappy relationships can kill, so be sure to marry for the right reasons and not solely for age.
Discussion
Wait a minute - it turns out women who marry older men are more likely to die early!!! There's a problem here.
For more info see http://www.yourtango.com/200927620/wives-older-husbands-die-younger
But what if healthier men are more likely to marry younger women? I would think younger women would be more attracted to older men who are trim and fit and able to perform in bed, etc. (I know older women are...)
The other big question - what is the effect on the younger women? Do they die earlier from having to take care of the old guys? Do they age faster from spending less time being active or from being caregivers? Do they get less sex and lose sexual health? Do they end up depressed as young widows? What happens to their longevity and health - is it a trade-off?
Do the much younger women have fewer children or more miscarriages, etc? We already know that the children of older men are more likely to have things like autism or schizophrenia - how does that affect the women?
