--- title: Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows description: A new study found that married patients recovered better after heart surgery than single or divorced patients. canonical: https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-29T15:06:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:41.812Z article:section: Health og:title: Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows og:description: They had better outcomes than single or divorced patients og:url: https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5590bc2953766075/69886eaa5f570f4b45b1e13d/marriage-heart-surgery.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: Heart surgery-marriage og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows twitter:description: They had better outcomes than single or divorced patients twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5590bc2953766075/69886eaa5f570f4b45b1e13d/marriage-heart-surgery.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8d19010-7423-46de-983a-c87808b82fb2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8d19010-7423-46de-983a-c87808b82fb2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=e8d19010-7423-46de-983a-c87808b82fb2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8d19010-7423-46de-983a-c87808b82fb2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Study Says Marriage Is Good For Your Heart ... Literally [Watch (HLS stream): Study Says Marriage Is Good For Your Heart ... Literally](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UIMQThkY.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-10-29. A new study says being married increases your chances for a better recovery after heart surgery._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 29, 2015 3:06 PM UTC A new study says being married increases your chances for a better recovery after heart surgery.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 29, 2015 3:06 PM UTC It turns out that marriage may actually mend broken hearts. [A new study](http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2466601) published in the _Journal of the American Medical Association_ found that married patients recovered better after heart surgery than single or divorced patients. After studying 1,576 adults over age 50 who had serious cardiac surgery, the researchers found that unmarried patients had a 40% greater chance of dying or developing complications two years after the surgery. This fits into a series of studies that show marriage can be beneficial to your health. But as [TIME’s Belinda Luscombe reports](http://time.com/4075847/better-marriage-health/), in many cases only those in happy marriages get the full benefit. **Read Next:** [_A Better Marriage Is Better for Your Health_](http://time.com/4075847/better-marriage-health/) ## Transcript [00:00] Talk about marriage being good for the heart, literally. [00:03] A new study found marriage can ease your recovery [00:05] after heart surgery. The study was published [00:08] Wednesday in the journal JAMA surgery. It claims [00:11] patients who were married did significantly better than [00:13] those who were divorced Widowed or separated, but [00:16] not better than those who had never been married. [00:18] Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania used [00:21] data from a University of Michigan study of more than [00:24] 1, 500 adults over the age of 50 who had undergone [00:27] heart surgery. The researchers said those who were [00:30] divorced, widowed or separated were 40 % more likely [00:33] to die. Die after heart surgery or develop a new [00:36] disability within two years after the surgery. The [00:39] researchers looked at how well the patients could [00:41] perform everyday activities like dressing eating and [00:44] taking showers without help. Study co author Mark [00:47] Newman said the reason for the link between marriage [00:49] and better heart surgery recovery remains unknown, [00:52] but it may help doctors identify who may need more [00:55] support after surgery. We should note that for the [00:58] patients who had never been married Had about the [01:00] same chances of successful recovery than people who [01:03] were married. Granted, the unmarried patients only [01:06] accounted for 2 % of the study participants, while the [01:08] married patients accounted for 65 %. Doctor Asheesh [01:12] Scholl is the head of heart transplantation at Vanderbilt [01:15] University Medical Center. Shaw says the recent [01:18] findings echo other studies that found married patients [01:22] do better after surgery. Shaw says the recent findings [01:25] echo other studies that found married patients do [01:27] better after surgery. Dr. Shaw told ABC news that [01:30] there's always been the feeling that people who have a [01:32] person that is supporting them tend to do better. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/"},"headline":"Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows","datePublished":"2015-10-29T15:06:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:39:41.812Z","description":"They had better outcomes than single or divorced patients","url":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/","keywords":["Research","medicine","Marriage","relationships","Surgery"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5590bc2953766075/69886eaa5f570f4b45b1e13d/marriage-heart-surgery.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5590bc2953766075/69886eaa5f570f4b45b1e13d/marriage-heart-surgery.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Heart surgery-marriage","caption":"Heart surgery-marriage","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/","name":"Married People Heal Better After Heart Surgery, Study Shows"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Study Says Marriage Is Good For Your Heart ... Literally","description":"A new study says being married increases your chances for a better recovery after heart surgery.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UIMQThkY/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-29T14:58:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UIMQThkY.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/","duration":"PT1M35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4092575/married-people-heart-surgery/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```