Another Study

tries to scare people into getting married because, after all, getting married makes people live longer than if they're are not, especially if they are widowed.

This often-promoted idea by researchers is easily explained without having to resort to the nonsense that marriage per se is better for all people. It simply means that if one is living alone and gets seriously ill, there is no one around to call 911. Even if one isn't seriously ill, there is not another person around to nag him or her to see the doctor.

Simply living alone doesn't mean isolation, though. With some widowed people, especially those married for a long time, it might be too much of a jolt to be alone after having somebody around for decades on end. There needs to be a better support system for those people who find themselves on their own after a lifetime of putting up with somebody else.

link.