Researchers examined the role of marital status in the development of type 2 diabetes. Using prospective data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, researchers found that unmarried men (especially widowers) had an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes, when compared to married men (adjusting for other factors). This increased risk may be partially mediated by unfavorable changes in lifestyle, diet, and adiposity.
Positive psychological well-being, especially optimism, protects against the incidence, and somewhat against the progression, of cardiovascular disease through a broad array of mechanisms, according to this extensive literature review.