Good news for all of you godless, sex-fueled heathens: a new study finds that married couples aren't really any happier or healthier than unmarried couples who live together. Alright!
While the study acknowledges that marriage used to be "an important social institution," it kind of isn't so much anymore, and in fact, "for some, cohabitation may come with fewer unwanted obligations than marriage and allow for more flexibility, autonomy, and personal growth." And while married people might quality as slightly "healthier," probably due to their shared healthcare plans, those who simply shack up together are happier and have more self-esteem. While previous studies have compared the health of married people to that of single people, and much ink has been spilled on the "end of traditional marriage"—this is one of the first to compare marrieds and basically-marrieds.
One downside is that both marriage and cohabitation can result in less hanging out with your friends friends compared to remaining single, but all your friends probably forgot about you once you started living with that guy Jason anyway.
