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This 107-year-old woman says she's discovered the 'true secret' to a long life and it's about marriage

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107-year-old Louise credits her long life to staying single.
107-year-old Louise credits her long life to staying single.

A few months ago we wrote about a study conducted by behavioural science professor at the London school of Economics, Paul Dolan, who claimed women who choose to go unmarried do not only live longer, but are also healthier and happier than women who chose to wed.

Paul used data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), which compared the happiness levels of a group of unmarried, married, divorced, widowed, and separated adults to find his outcome - women who choose not to get married and not to have kids will not only be happier, but healthier too.

Paul explained to The Guardian that married couples had initially been "happier" when asked about their happiness levels, while their partners were in the same room as them.

However, as soon as their partners were away from view, the truth came out.

Most of them had confessed to being "miserably" married. People who were unmarried were considerably happier.

READ MORE: “I’ve been married for 16 years and I’ve never been happy”

“Married people are happier than other population subgroups, but only when their spouse is in the room when they’re asked how happy they are.

When the spouse is not present: f** miserable,” he said while speaking at the Hay Festival.

Paul also went on to explain that marriage, unlike for women, is good for men. The reason for this according to him, is that when married, men "take less risk, earn more money and live a little longer".

Fast forward a couple months later, Louise Signore an avid dancer from Bronx New York, who just celebrated her 107th birthday, explains to WCBS how the secret to her incredibly long life, was deciding not to get married.

While Louise remains fairly active and maintains a healthy lifestyle, she says deciding to stay single has preserved her health.

"If they have exercise, I do the exercise. If they have dancing, I dance. I still a do a little dancing. After my lunch, I will play bingo, so I had a full day," she told WCBS.

READ MORE: Even though I regret getting married before I celebrated my 24th birthday, I learned these 5 important lessons

However, her healthy lifestyle, according to her, is only part of the reason why she's lived such a long full life. Avoiding marriage, according to her, was the real "secret".

"I think the secret of 107: I never got married. I think that's the secret." she says.

And so there we have it folks!

If the study wasn't enough to change your mind about believing marriage is all sunshine and roses, you can take it from someone who has actually lived to see an entire century (and some), because she decided to live her best unmarried life.

Do you think the secret to a longer and happier life could be remaining unmarried? Share your thoughts with us here.

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