Being single will leave you feeling miserable in more ways than one.
A new study, conducted by the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in China, linked relationship status to life span — and revealed that being single can even lead to stomach cancer.
“Married people tend to be better off financially,” Professor Aman Xu, who worked on the study, told the Mirror. “They may also receive emotional encouragement.”
When looking at cases of cancer, married people with early-stage gastric cancer had the highest survival rates compared to the other groups — widowed, single (never married), separated, divorced and “unknown.”
The researchers looked at 3,647 cases in the US in which cancer hadn’t spread to other organs in the patients’ bodies, concluding that while women had better survival prospects than men, singles were still disproportionately at risk.
Yet they couldn’t explain why.
Further research may be needed to make a stronger connection between being single and developing gastric cancer. Universal Images Group via GettyThe study authors merely noted that single and widowed patients “need more attention and social help” regarding cancer and health care treatment.
But stomach cancer isn’t the only health hurdle singles could face. Studies have shown being single can increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, or cause financial woes.
On the other hand, other research suggests the opposite — that being single could improve your health. Singles socialize more, have more downtime, sleep better, have less debt and are less stressed.
While being single could be linked to health problems, stress can cause a whole lot more. It can lead to insomnia, heart disease, depression, chronic pain, stomach issues and even the common cold.
“People who live alone are often the life of their cities and towns. They tend to participate in more civic groups and public events, enroll in more art and music classes and go out to dinner more often than people who live with others,” said author, researcher and social psychologist Bella DePaulo, Ph.D., adding that singles also volunteer more. “In contrast, when couples move in together or get married, they tend to become more insular, even if they don’t have children.”
