Don’t drop yibao or turn to alcohol after separating or divorcing

An analysis of 6.5 million people across 11 countries shows that separated or divorced individuals face a significantly higher risk of premature death than those still married. This effect is stronger among men and younger adults. The original text does not claim a direct causal link, as divorced people may already differ in health and income. Of the four proposed reasons, two are within personal control: maintaining yibao and regular health check‑ups, and avoiding reliance on tobacco and alcohol.

Zero. Simply keep your yibao active and quit drinking. The hard part is resisting the urge to use alcohol as a crutch during this transition period.

Data from 32 longitudinal studies involving over 6.5 million participants, 160,000 deaths, and more than 755,000 divorces across 11 countries confirm that separated or divorced adults have a markedly higher risk of early death compared with married peers. The increase is especially pronounced for men and younger individuals. Four possible mechanisms are discussed: selection bias (healthier or better‑off people may be less likely to divorce), loss of financial and insurance support, deterioration of health‑related habits such as smoking and drinking, and chronic psychological stress from ongoing tension.

The source only notes a “significant rise” and provides group comparisons without specific risk‑ratio figures, so no exact numbers are reported here. Given that the evidence points to a clear direction but lacks a quantifiable threshold, the overall benefit is rated as moderate. Issues related to property, debts, and betrothal gifts at the time of divorce are covered in Sections 8 and 10; child‑custody arrangements are discussed in Section 18.

Sbarra DA, et al. (2011). Divorce and Death: A Meta-Analysis and Research Agenda for Clinical, Social, and Health Psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611414724