An interesting study by German experts revealed that men who marry younger women enhance their chances of longevity, and those who tie the knot with older women meet a premature death. The analysis was carried by a research group at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. The researchers looked at the deaths of the entire population of Denmark between 1990 and 2005. Danish men who marry women much younger than them live longer.

According to the research, if a man marries a woman 15 and 17 years his junior, his chances of dying early are cut by one fifth. Also, it suggests that men cut the risk of premature death by 11 percent if their wives are seven to nine years younger. Another aspect highlighted by the study was that men who opted for older wives have an 11 percent higher chance of dying earlier.

The same does not apply to women with younger husbands. Women who marry men who are older or younger than they are by seven to nine years increase their chances of dying by 20 percent. If the age difference is close to 15 to 17 years, the figure goes up to 30 percent.

One explanation for the link between younger brides and longer life for older grooms could be natural selection. It is possible that younger women choose healthier, better maintained older men as their marriage mates.

Also, many men with considerably younger wives are rich (big bank accounts play a part in an older man’s allure). Because of their financial means these men enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle than average men, i.e., they have no worries about money, better access to regular medical checks, health cures, leisure, etc. All these factors contribute to a long life span.