At 98 years old, Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, holds the title of the oldest living president, and he is also regarded as the ‘most active former US president.’ Until recently, when he entered hospice care, Carter refused to slow down—he authored several books, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit fighting for adequate housing worldwide, and taught Sunday School in his local church.
The former president, who has been married to wife Rosalynn for 77 years, revealed in a 2015 interview with People that his decision to marry early at 21 might have contributed to his ripe old age. Interestingly, a longevity expert, Dan Buettner, well-versed in the subject of longevity, appears to believe that the former president’s viewpoint could be valid.
A loving relationship contributes to a long life, especially for men
Dan, the brain behind the book series The Blue Zones, highlighted in an interview with Insider that being in a content relationship is a significant factor contributing to a long and healthy life for men. “Investing in a spouse is a core value in all Blue Zones,” he told the news outlet. “Staying in a committed relationship is absolutely associated with about two years of extra life expectancy (and more for men) over being divorced or single.”
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Likewise, for the former president, who has exceeded the average US male life expectancy of 73.5 by more than two decades, has agreed that, indeed, his committed, loving relationship with his wife of almost eight decades could have played a significant role in his longevity.
Research establishes that a committed marriage could have contributed to Jimmy Carter’s long life
In 2020, a study involving 164,597 Americans aged 65 and older demonstrated that married individuals, on average, experienced a two-year longer life compared to unmarried individuals. The research findings also indicated that even individuals who had gone through divorce or widowhood tended to live longer than those who had never been married. This led the researchers to conclude that marriage seems to influence longevity positively.
Another demonstrated that the health advantages of marriage appear to be more pronounced for men than women. A study published in March 2023 revealed that unmarried men diagnosed with heart failure were twice as likely to pass away within five years compared to married men facing similar heart conditions.
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