Can divorce shorten lifespan?
| Jun 10, 2018, 12:33 IST
A new study has suggested that lower life satisfaction among divorced people can lead to lower physical activity and increased smoking which are two factors that can lead to an early death. "We were trying to fill in the gap of evidence linking marital status and early mortality," said an expert. "While the study didn't explicitly examine why divorce seems to be associated with greater likelihood of smoking and lower levels of exercise, one possible explanation, supported by existing research, is that divorced individuals no longer have spouses holding them accountable for their health behaviours," he added.
"If you imagine a husband or wife who doesn't smoke and their partner does, one might try to influence the other's behavior. In many ways, when relationships end, we lose that important social control of our health behaviors," he continued. He concluded by saying that since divorce is in general linked to poor health, smoking and exercise can be narrowed down and thus people going through a separation can be made aware of these factors.
"If you imagine a husband or wife who doesn't smoke and their partner does, one might try to influence the other's behavior. In many ways, when relationships end, we lose that important social control of our health behaviors," he continued. He concluded by saying that since divorce is in general linked to poor health, smoking and exercise can be narrowed down and thus people going through a separation can be made aware of these factors.