Marriage really does make you happy: Especially if you're middle-aged

Researchers analysed data from two UK surveys involving over 30,000 people and found that married people were more satisfied with life than singles.

The boost that being married gives you is especially high during middle age, they also reported.

People who see spouse as their best friend enjoy the biggest boost in wellbeing.

Marriage is often referred to as 'the old ball and chain', in which your partner holds you back from doing what you really want.

But a new study suggests that this isn't the case, and instead, marriage really does make you happy - in fact, it can double your contentment.

In particular, the researchers suggest that middle-aged people experience the biggest boost in happiness through marriage – especially if they refer to their spouse as their best friend.

Researchers from the Vancouver School of Economics used data from two UK surveys to analyse whether being married affects your happiness.

The data was gathered from the long-term British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which was collected from around 30,000 people between 1991 and 2009, and the United Kingdom's Annual Population 2011 to 2013 Survey, which involved more than 328,000 people.

Their analysis revealed that married people were more satisfied with life than singles.

And those living as a couple, but not married, were much like the married.

Professor John Helliwell, coauthor of the study, said: “Even after years the married are still more satisfied.

'This suggests a causal effect at all stages of the marriage, from prenuptial bliss to marriages of longduration.”

The boost that being married gives to a person is especially high during middle age - a period in life that is often associated with a dip in wellbeing.