New research claims marriage is good for you, as a study published in the journal Stress has shown that married individuals and individuals in committed relationships produce less of a stress-related hormone.

A team of researchers studied 500 masters’ degree students in their late 20s at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. About 40 percent of the men and 53 percent of the women were married or in relationships.

The participants were asked to play a series of computer games that tested economic behaviors, and saliva samples were taken before and after to measure hormone levels and changes.

Each student was told that the test was a course requirement, and it would impact their future career placement. That made the test a potentially stressful experience that could affect levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone.

Although cortisol concentrations increased in all participants, they found that the increases were less in married people and those in committed relationships.

"These results suggest that single and unpaired individuals are more responsive to psychological stress than married individuals, a finding consistent with a growing body of evidence showing that marriage and social support can buffer against stress," said lead author Dario Maestripieri. "Although marriage can be pretty stressful, it should make it easier for people to handle other stressors in their lives."