I Always Did Think it Was Better

While struggling in recuperation of my collapsed lung, and wondering about many decisions in my life, Tim Harford hits upon some rough evidence that supports an intuition I think we've all had saved in the poetic parts of our minds.

If we incautiously interpret these numbers as causal – in fact they are merely correlations – then we could conclude that 20 years of marriage is compensation for up to 40 years of widowhood. Ten years of marriage more than justifies 40 years as a divorcee.

Indeed, most of the time, the love outweighs the pain.  For me, in the condition I'm in right now, this is something to be happy about.