Have You Discovered the Best Things about Being Married?

 By Douglas Woods

There are many good things about being married but, because each marriage is different, it is likely that not everyone has yet discovered them all. Being married is generally regarded as being a positive thing and with good reason. That is not to say that being single is in any way wrong but it does suggest that being married has certain benefits and advantages over being single.

So just what are these advantages of marriage?

1.      Companionship. In a marriage there is always someone to talk to or to listen to you. Sometimes, of course, your spouse might not be ‘really’ listening to you but it is still more satisfying than talking to yourself. It is good to have someone there to have a conversation, to bounce ideas of or to have a witty exchange of remarks.

2.      Social Life. Simply by having a partner with you, you can have a social life that is not so readily or easily available for singletons. You can visit places together, visit friends or holiday together. For the single person, that is far more difficult as often modern social life is geared around ‘couples’ and the single person can often feel left out or sometimes, simply not invited.

3.      Longer Life. Well certainly for men. Studies have shown that married men tend to live longer than single men. It seems that marriage has a stabilising influence upon men, resulting in less stress and more opportunities to relieve stress and gain pleasure. It seems that even a ‘bad’ marriage is better for men than being single; I guess even a ‘bad’ marriage is not ‘bad’ all the time!

4.      Less Stressful Child-rearing. Stress seems almost inevitable when it comes to raising children. Although many single parents do raise children successfully, it seems the stress is less when the tasks are shared with a partner.

So there you have four of the best things about being married. Each marriage is, of course, different, so you may well find other advantages in your marriage. Do you appreciate those advantages, though, do you realise the benefits your partner brings to you? The chances are that you do not, or at least you do not realise fully the advantages in your marriage. Take a little time to think and reflect then try writing down, or telling your partner, the good things about your marriage.