Why you need to get Married
Marriage: Why Should You Get Married?
As marriage now welcomes the gay community into its fold, we’d like to remind everyone what marriage is and why you might want to get married. Marriage is the dream of every person who isn’t, well, entirely opposed to it. Find that special someone, handcuff them (metaphorically, of course), and throw them into a padded room of shared bliss forever.
Many people ask, “Why should I get married?” According to Bingorova Googlisky, a freelance Senior Research Assistant, the answer isn’t as straightforward as it was for our grandparents. She notes that people used to marry because it was almost mandatory. Her research highlights several reasons supporting the idea of marriage:
1. Mental Health
Research conducted on three married couples in the rural town of Pike Road, Alabama, suggests marriage is beneficial for mental health—if only to avoid others questioning your sanity. Although these couples strongly believe that singlehood or an openly gay lifestyle isn’t “normal,” two out of three said they’d be more willing to be friends with gay couples than with singles. Singles, they proclaimed, are just “weirdos” who prefer traveling to places no “sane” person would, like New York City.
2. Physical Health
Marriage may lead to weight gain, which might not benefit your physical health, but there’s more to consider. A study involving a variety of recently incarcerated individuals found that marriage motivated them to work out more—perhaps to keep a “healthy upper hand” in the relationship.
3. Acceptance
Our gardener and die-hard Dancing with the Stars fan, Mikey, believes gay marriage could eventually reduce prejudice. He thinks that as muscular gay men begin to gain weight post-marriage, homophobic macho types will warm up to them, seeing them as less threatening.
4. Intellectual Factor
Religion and social study groups across select universities in the U.S. reveal that society is struggling to define marriage intellectually and culturally. One researcher, who requested anonymity, commented, “We couldn’t find any intellectual value.” But he did suggest that with the LGBTQ+ community joining in, marriage might gain an intellectual boost.
5. Marriage as an Organizer of Natural Desires
Satisfying one’s sexual needs in the comfort of marriage has always been a key reason to tie the knot. Married people reportedly feel more comfortable fulfilling their desires, whether with their spouse—or with a little on the side.
6. Marriage as a Contract
Historically, marriage was a contract, originally for selling women to men, but over time it has evolved into a partnership that, some say, has shifted power away from men. Proponents of “traditional” marriage weren’t initially at ease with gay marriage, likely due to the lack of a clear buyer-seller dynamic.
7. Marriage as a Social Good
Five people wearing “I’m With Stupid” T-shirts, surveyed outside a Walmart in New Jersey, agreed that marriage and family are vital to society’s health. They collectively credited their stance to their combined 13 marriages.
8. Marriage as Sacrament
While religious devotees might disagree on almost everything else, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all agree that marriage is the proper path to “doing it.” Within religion, marriage parallels a person’s commitment to God. Islam, in particular, takes this a bit further by creating an impression of spiritual endorsement for threesomes—if not exactly the reality.
9. Children
Children are a major factor for couples considering marriage. Critics of marriage often cite an Onion poll indicating that children raised by single parents tend to have higher IQs, being exposed to more diverse personalities. This argument, however, overlooks traditional marriages where one or both parents may be (figuratively or literally) schizophrenic.
10. Marriage as an Economic Powerhouse
More weddings mean more parties, more orders, and more alcohol—a crucial economic driver. Utah, for instance, is a growing wedding market. And with gay men often being the best wedding planners, cities that embrace them see an economic boost thanks to the uptick in celebrations.
So go ahead, add the “I do” to your “to-do list”—unless you want to stay single and miserable forever!
Disclaimer: Bingorova Googlisky research is sponsored by WeddingPlanners