Marriage cuts men's health problems risk

Says an article in the Times of India -

"volunteers aged 57 to 85", "long marriage lowers a man''s chance of developing serious health problems." "how strong the effect of being married and having strong social bonds can be"

So says their research, but in practical life we say thats the high-risk age. My dad always says, beyond 60 years of age everything is like bonus - be it health, wealth or happiness. Lower's man's chance of serious health problems - is that so ? Thats when most married men retire and their immediate worry is money, younger son or daughter's education, one of their marriages. That's when a son or daughter comes up and tells them that he/she wants to marry his/her love who doesnot belong to their caste or religion or economic status or which ever way they want to spot a difference. Thats when obesity is at its peak due to stress from all the family related issues and stress due to idleness since he's retired. If their kids are happily married, they are probably on the other banks of the ocean so 'paasa malar' might be killing them. The husband and wife staying all by themselves at home start acting like kindergarten kids. They will start worrying about Sashtiabdapoorti and about satisfying their sambandies on such occasions - giving them equal importance and maruvaadais. There were days when they used to make kadala urandai and murukku just like that for a snack, but a slightly bigger in size paruppu thengai would be like a nuclear bomb issue on ocassions like engagement, weddings or son/daughter's seemandam or the 'kapu arasi kadali' on the new born's namakaraman becomes imperative than the child's name.

Phew! the list is endless. May be their research specimen should be an indian male. I would blame this unwritten tradition which people have been blindly following and imposing on themselves just for the sake of the onlookers. When nearly 60% of folks aged >50 are already diabetic why do they stress so much on paruppu thengai, adirasam and laddus ? When asked they would answer its for the children - ahh, well done, time to spoil the next generation's health too. More nerve-wracking are these kids' birthday parties these days. Will write about it later.

I found this statement the most hilarious - "No matter how much you bicker after marriage, but walking down the aisle is actually good for health, especially for men," OMG, ask any south indian groom - that would have the most worrying and horrifying hours of his life - shirtless and the trancy dhoti worn in such a way that when it falls apart he wouldn't know which end he should pick up first. The return from Kashi yatra - with kodai, coconuts and a small bag hanging down his arms, a walking stick, pancha gacham and anga vastram - i think this can be compared to walking down the aisle fund of the vidhesis. Are they trying to say, if an average man has gone through this kind of a marriage - he can handle anything in his 60s ?