3 Reasons Why Being Single Is Good For Your Health (Page 3)

Single life is underrated. When you’re single you can dance like a crazy thing, flirt with your cute colleague and if your friends ask you to go with them to Boracay for the long weekend, then (money aside) why not? Not only can the single life be far more fun, it also has some major health perks. So, if you’re feeling glum about not finding The One, cheer yourself up knowing that being single means you have:



More friends
Ditching your buddies for romantic dates out or cozy nights in is a classic sign of a serious relationship. However, friendship is a hugely undervalued resource. A 10 year Australian study found that older people with a large amount of friends were 22 per cent less likely to die during the study than those older people with fewer friends. Also Harvard researchers suggested that strong social ties may promote brain health as we age and another study found that those with high social relationships were 50 per cent more likely to survive during the period of study. So it turns out friends are not just there for secret sharing and karaoke fun.

Singles keep fitter
It seems that when you get married, you not only gain a spouse, you also gain a considerable amount of weight. A poll commissioned by the Department of Health found that only 27 percent of adults met the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Of those 27 per cent, the majority were married. So how much weight does a pair in couple-kingdom gain? According to US researchers it depends on your gender. 46 per cent of the 5,000 ladies who took part in the US study gained at least 20 pounds. However, for the guys the increased weight risk was not as high. Unlike women, men gained the most weight during divorce.

Smaller portions
The fairytale goes… girl meets boy, they fall in love, marry and live happily ever after. What the fairytale doesn’t tell us is that when you meet that someone special you will find yourself feasting on man-sized portions and calorific meals. Women typically gain weight when they begin a relationship because they eat man-sized portions; but men tend to burn calories faster than women. Similarly men gain weight because couples order in more takeaways and eat out too. Considering that the average restaurant takeout food contains 1,436 calories it is not surprising that couples pile on the pounds.