It’s a love story, baby: Taylor Swift, romance, and the meaning of marriage
Rebecca Richards
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As anyone experiencing the onslaught of invitations for post-pandemic weddings can tell you, most marriage receptions feature at least one Taylor Swift song. Her Eras Tour inspired millions of fans to attend, breaking Ticketmaster, as well as prompting marriage proposals and even a wedding ceremony. This outbreak of proposals comes against the backdrop of a country that is increasingly unsure about marriage.
Marriage rates in the United States were at an all-time low in 2021, according to research from Bowling Green State University, with only 28 marriages recorded per 1,000 unmarried women. As marriage rates decrease, it is even more important to understand what marriage does and what it might add for, or take away from, those who do choose matrimony.
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Countless studies have been conducted on the happiness of people based on their marital status. The authors of a new study in Global Epidemiology write that studies exploring the benefits of marriage have been criticized for inadequately accounting for the preconditions and risks involved in marriage. They constructed a research model to account for these conditions better.
Two of the authors, Brendan Case and Ying Chen, describe the study in the Wall Street Journal. The study explored the effects of marriage on a group of nearly 12,000 nurses, initially unmarried women, and compared those who got married between 1989 and 1993 with those who never married. They found startlingly clear data on the benefits of marriage on health.
Married women had a “35% lower risk of death for any reason over the follow-up period than those who did not marry in that period,” as well as a “lower risk of cardiovascular disease” and “less depression and loneliness.” They “were happier and more optimistic, and had a greater sense of purpose and hope.” This held true even for women who had subsequently divorced, though these women had “consistently worse subsequent health and well-being.”
Despite these benefits, and those explored by previous studies, marriage has become a nice option rather than a cornerstone of society. The researchers write, “It is clear, however, that many of us now view marriage not as an essential setting for socializing sex and raising children but rather as a dispensable luxury good.”
Although Swift’s music features love in the fullness of its romantic forms, from the first blush to final heartbreak, her perspective on happy endings reflects this cultural shift away from marriage. “Love Story,” released when Swift was 19, features a proposal as the ultimate fairy-tale ending. In contrast, Swift’s latest album, with the artist at age 32, prioritizes career goals and self-development. Marriage may not be necessary for personal fulfillment, but Case and Chen’s work shows that the institution can have a very real impact on personal well-being.
Case and Chen warn, “Our findings, added to an already extensive literature showing the value of marriage, ought to serve as a wake-up call for a society in significant denial about this crucial element of flourishing.”
While Swift may not envision marriage as her happy ending, her belief in love as something worth pursuing never wavers, and it resonates with a generation of people also reluctant to rush to the altar. She manages to make love attractive despite the risk, and in an age when we are hesitant to start relationships, that is a great place to start.
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Rebecca Richards is the associate director of the Fund for Academic Renewal, the philanthropic advisory service of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.