"Manthers" and "cougar prey" are deadly

(Andre Blais)

It isn't exactly big news that marriage or being in a relationship with a woman is healthy for men (the younger the better), however a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Germany has found that when women marry a man too young or too old, it can be deadly.

Sven Drefahl, a PhD candidate and researcher at MPIDR, published his findings in the journal Demography on May 12.

Drefahl analyzed data from nearly four million Danish spouses and concluded women marry a man the same age.

"It appears that the reasons for mortality differences due to the age gap of the spouses remain unclear," said Defahl who found "women marrying a partner seven to nine years younger increase their mortality risk by 20 percent compared to couples where both partners are the same age. But the mortality risk of a husband who is seven to nine years older than his wife is reduced by eleven percent."

He continues to explain that "‘health selection' can't be true for women; healthy women apparently don't go chasing after younger men."

Most research shows that women prefer men the same age but tend to select an older spouse. "It's not that women couldn't find younger partners; the majority just don't want to," said Drefahl.

Apparently not tying the knot won't help with longevity as it scores worse than finding marital bliss with your "manther" or "cougar prey."

For more information on the study "Marriage and life expectancy", visit MPIDR: http://www.demogr.mpg.de/en/press/1813.htm