A long term partnership may drop your chances of dementia by more than half

The virtues of single life are not lost on me. In this winter of my 40th year, I remain a bachelor and, off-putting entanglements of online dating aside, happily so. But new research seems to suggest that I, and other singletons like me, should keep looking for Mrs (or Mr) Right. If only for the sake of our mental well-being.

Recent health tracking data pooled from 15 prior studies and 812,047 subjects in Europe, South America, Asia and the US has shown that those who remained single for life were an astounding 42 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who opted to walk down the aisle. Even after taking age and sex into consideration, the risk for single folk remained dramatically high. Ugh, he sighed.

The study, led by psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Sommerlad at University College London, also saw mental health markers decline for widowers. They were found to be 20 percent more prone to dementia. Oddly enough, breakups weren't statistically relevant. Though there were fewer divorcées among the subjects, none showed any significant links to dementia at all. Which could be proof that living solo trumps an unhappy union, but I'm just guessing/hoping on that front.

If marriage isn't your cup of commitment consider this happy wrinkle: researchers don't think it's the wedding act itself that bolsters mental health or staves off decline. Huzzah. Instead, they believe the benefits to lasting cognitive function are really due to all that comes with married life. Sommerlad explains that "married people tend to have healthier lifestyles and are more socially engaged, which may explain why they're less likely to develop dementia". A close partner might also catch early warning signs that lead to more effective treatment which lends itself to the idea that cohabitation, not marriage, is in fact the sacred salve.

Dr. Laura Phipps with Alzheimer's Research UK echoes the findings. "Spouses may help to encourage healthy habits, look out for their partner's health and provide important social support."  

Sommerlad's study is not the only one of it's kind to support the benefits of a romantic buddy system. An older study that had followed nearly 3,000 single men and women over the course of six years found that whether couples got married or just moved in together they experienced more happiness and less depression (and both in equal amounts) than those who remained on their own.  Another study showed that people who cohabitated shared comparable mental health markers with those who'd officially tied the knot. That same study showed prescriptions for psychotropic drugs like antidepressants to be "highest for single individuals" — so the big baddie here is really isolation. Across numerous studies those who feel alone tend to fare far worse when it comes to mental (and physical) wellbeing. Consider though that lack of human closeness can still happen in a romantic partnership, especially a slumping one.   

Proud singleton and academic authority on the subject, Dr. Bella DePaulo says "increasing numbers of people are single because they want to be. Living single allows them to live their best, most authentic, and most meaningful life." They also enjoy more contact with siblings, friends and aging parents than their coupled counterparts, who tend to acquiesce into a bit of an insular lifestyle. She says our fear of isolation needs to be leveraged with more study on singles, some of whom, like her, may very well be far happier on their own. And in some instances solitude is precisely what we really need.

Still, science for now keeps pointing to coupling as a healthy choice. Fueled by a traditional "family comes first" mentality, many centenarians simply have the resolve to stick it out. And that devotion spills over from romantic love into familial attachment for siblings, nieces and nephews, kids and grandkids as well. We might do well to dust off that clichéd truism, the more the merrier to give it an update: the more the healthier.

It's a dictum that seems to have worked for Ashraf and Mohammed Mohyeddin.

Certainly the striking data doesn't just apply to those with a marriage license and Sommerlad and his team admit as much:  "We hope that our findings could be applied to support dementia prevention among unmarried people" too.  Human contact aiming to leverage the pitfalls of isolation would appear key. He maintains that "ensuring mental stimulation through social engagement among unmarried older people may be beneficial."

Should you foresee a future where you're still single, consider that weaving daily interaction into your routine could stave off mental decline. The new data also serves as a gentle reminder to make a bit of time to play pinochle with any ageing singles you may hold dear.

Marc Beaulieu is a writer, producer and host of the live Q&A show guyQ LIVE @AskMen.