The ol’ ball and chain, huh? For the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

A new Institute for Family Values research brief finds that “Successful marriages require men to work harder, avoid cheating, spend less time with their friends, and make a good-faith effort—day in and day out—to be emotionally present with their spouses.”  Sounds like a real drag, huh?

But the study also showed that in return, they get wealth, health, and satisfaction.

According to researchers Brad Wilcox and Nicholas Wolfinger, married men accumulate more wealth over the course of their lives, are more satisfied with their sex lives, suffer less from depression, and live longer than unmarried or cohabiting peers. And when they do fall ill—say to cancer—the emotional and physical support of a wife extends their lives beyond those of unmarried men.

Yet despite all these rewards, fewer men are getting married, and those who do are putting it off on average until almost age of 30.

Which is a pity. Because God was right: It’s not good for man to be alone.