A study at Germany’s Max Planck Institute has found that men who marry older women are more likely to die early than men who marry younger woman. Likewise, women who marry men 7 to 9 years older — or, get this, 7 to 9 years younger — increase their chances of dying early by a whopping 20 percent! And the bigger the age difference between two spouses, the greater chance a woman has of dying prematurely. Men, on the other hand, favor quite well when they marry younger women. Their chances of dying early “are cut by a fifth if their bride is between 15 and 17 years their junior.” Even marrying a woman just seven years younger reduces a man’s risk of premature death by 11 percent. Scientists say these figures may be a result of natural selection — of the cream-of-the-crop older men having the most success attracting younger, fertile women. “Another theory is that a younger woman will care for a man better and therefore he will live longer,” said institute spokesman Sven Drefahl. Maybe women with much older or younger mates are better off not marrying them. That way they won’t have the drama of addressing wedding invitations OR dying prematurely. Win-win! [via Telegraph] Keep reading »
