Marriage in Later Years Fails to Boost Wellbeing, Study Finds
For couples who have never married, the idea of finally tying the knot in older age might seem like a romantic milestone. However, new research suggests that saving your money could be wiser, as getting married later in life has no significant effect on overall wellbeing. A comprehensive study from the University of Vienna has revealed that while moving in together provides a substantial happiness boost, the act of marriage itself offers no additional measurable gain.
Research Methodology and Key Findings
The research team evaluated long-term data from 2,840 participants in the United States, aged between 50 and 95 years old. They meticulously compared how depressive symptoms and life satisfaction changed when individuals either moved in with or married a new partner. The analysis demonstrated that when people over 50 enter into a new relationship and decide to cohabit, their life satisfaction increases significantly.
Psychologist Iris Wahring explained the findings: "The transition to living together with a new partner was accompanied by a significant increase in life satisfaction." However, the researchers were surprised to discover that couples who were already cohabiting and only decided to marry later did not experience any further enhancement to their wellbeing by exchanging vows.
The Cohabitation Advantage Over Marriage
Dr. Wahring elaborated on why marriage might not provide additional benefits: "Our results show that the bonus for well-being is already achieved by sharing a life together in a partnership. The marriage itself does not offer any measurable additional gain in life happiness for couples who already share a table and a bed."
The study also uncovered that relationship breakdowns within this age group did not lead to a measurable decline in wellbeing. This suggests that older adults possess remarkable emotional resilience or effectively utilize other social resources, such as friends and family, to cushion these difficult transitions.
Societal Shifts in Relationship Norms
Published in the International Journal of Behavioural Development, the research underscores the importance of social bonds in old age and demonstrates that new partnerships have a positive effect. The scientists noted that while living together without marriage was rare and stigmatized several decades ago, this is no longer the case in contemporary society.
"This societal shift may explain why earlier studies found stronger well-being benefits when moving in was combined with marriage, whereas today, the effect of marriage alone may be less pronounced," the researchers wrote.
Gender Differences in Relationship Satisfaction
A separate study recently found that women experience peak happiness before they actually get married. Research examining life satisfaction discovered that women tend to be happiest when they are living with their partner and planning to marry in the future. For those who do proceed with marriage, any initial boost appears short-lived, typically disappearing after approximately one year and often falling below pre-wedding levels.
Professor Belinda Hewitt, who led this complementary research from the University of Melbourne, explained: "There can be a lot of excitement and anticipation around the prospect of getting married in the future, with several fun things to look forward to like a wedding day and honeymoon. That provides a real sense of purpose for a relationship, and the reassurance that the other person is very committed, which could be very satisfying for cohabiting women in this position."
Professor Hewitt continued: "Marriage is also a committed relationship but the anticipation of the wedding and the 'project' of planning for it are gone, and replaced by a lot of expectation and pressure. This may explain why life satisfaction after marriage doesn't measure up for women, compared to when they are living with their partner and thinking about getting married."
Notable Examples and Broader Implications
Examples of famous couples who married later in life include Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall, who at age 69 wed audio engineer Russell Thomas, 54, in London at the end of last year. Similarly, music icon Elton John was 67 when he married his long-term partner David Furnish, who was 52, in 2014.
The research collectively highlights several important insights:
- Moving in together significantly increases life satisfaction for individuals over 50
- Marriage itself provides no measurable additional happiness gain for cohabiting couples
- Older adults demonstrate remarkable resilience during relationship transitions
- Societal attitudes toward cohabitation have shifted dramatically in recent decades
- Gender differences exist in how relationship stages affect wellbeing
These findings challenge traditional assumptions about marriage and happiness in later life, suggesting that the quality of partnership and shared living arrangements may matter more than legal marital status for emotional wellbeing among older adults.
