Marriage, when it's good, can be a wonderful thing. It's like being allowed to spend your life hanging out with your best friend in the world. Remember how much we wanted our best friend to spend every night at our house for weeks on end when we were little? Well, with marriage, you get to do that. Happily married people wake up every morning next to their best bud.

There are also health benefits to marriage. The March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior has a study that shows married people are much more likely to live longer after heart surgery than their single counterparts. The study correlated this to the generally positive outlook the marrieds had on their recovery. They just felt more optimistic.

Well, if that's not a reason to get married, I can't imagine what is. Everyone in this country, regardless of sexual orientation, should be allowed to get married. Because marriage is better. And here are 8 reasons:

  • Better sex: Married people have 25-300 percent more sex than unmarrieds. Hey, this is the most important reason in my opinion. Life is way too short to have to spend any of it without sex.
  • Children: For children, marriage offers stability and the foundation from which they can spread their wings. Countless studies have shown that children from married parents fare better in life than those whose parents remain unmarried.
  • Support: When someone makes me mad or hurts my feelings, I am one to brood, but my husband is always on my side, always has my back, and makes up hilarious nicknames for people that make me laugh. Who can hate someone their husband calls "Big Bird's Ugly Mom"?
  • Legal recognition: It's nice to have legal recognition of your union. This is the simple reason it's hard to understand why anyone would choose cohabitation over marriage.
  • Health insurance: It's not romantic, but there it is. If one if you is unemployed, it's nice to have real insurance coverage that doesn't cost a fortune. 
  • Companionship: You will never have to be alone on date night again!
  • More money: Generally speaking, married people have more money than singletons or even cohabitation couples. Married men are generally more successful at work and two can live almost as cheaply as one and a half, which is still better than two!
  • Happiness: Married people, on whole, are happier than single people. It's probably a result of all that sex, support, and companionship, but whatever the reason, marriage is simply better.

Why are you happy to be married?

 

Image via Dan Queiroz/Flickr