This recently story in the New York Times describes the physical health
impact of going from being married to being single (whether by divorce or a spouse’s death). Similar to some German research I heard about years ago, the impact of the loss of a spouse is one that lingers. And, apparently, it’s the loss of the spouse rather than the absence: Never married middle-aged people have fewer chronic health problems than divorced or widowed people of the same age.
Admittedly, what the study cited in the story shows is correlation between chronic (stress-related) health problems and divorce or widowhood. Because the effect is showing up in both groups, though, researchers believe a causal relationship to be likely.
The punchline: To paraphrase the author of much of this research, if you’re in a marriage you can’t fix, get out of it. If you’re in a marriage you can fix, you’ll be better in the long run if you make the effort. How do you know if you can fix a marriage? See some of my older posts on folks who claim to be able to predict whether a marriage will last.