😍 The Surprising Health Benefits Of Marriage

Dadpack Digest, V18 💙

Valentine's Day is always a good reminder to prioritize romance. Whether you go with chocolates in a heart-shaped box, flowers, or all of the above, beware of sex coupons.

One dad on Reddit recently asked if his voucher for a "sexual act of your choice" was a trap. Not only is it a trap, but guys in the Ask Men subreddit agree that it's a bad gift.

Save the coupons for the grocery store. And whatever you do, don't get those mixed up with the horny ones.

This Week From Dadpack

• 🍭🍪 The scientific reason marriage is so sweet: Long-term cohabitation leads to lower blood sugar levels, even if your relationship is going through a rough patch.

• 🗞📰 In case you whiffed it: All the news you missed when you were training to be a an Olympic-level trampoline jumper.

• ♥️♠️ Where should we begin? A card game designed by renowned psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel is a good place to start.

• 👨‍👧‍👦💪 It's the little things: Social media is usually a cesspool, but a new trend highlights that the most important part of parenting is showing up.

Your Marriage May Save You From Diabetes

There are plenty of well-documented health advantages associated with marriage, but typically the relationship has to be solid in order to reap these benefits. However, a new study suggests that married and long-term cohabitating couples can lower a number health risks by lowering each other's blood sugar.

More surprisingly, they found that this was true regardless of how happy couples were.

High blood sugar has been linked with a number of issues including heart attacks, heart disease, diabetes, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, skin problems, and strokes. To get more information on how marriage might affect blood sugar, researchers followed 3,335 adults ages 50 to 89 (who did not have pre-existing diabetes) from 2004 to 2013.

Participants periodically had a blood test called the HbA1c test to gauge blood sugar levels over the span on 9 years. They were also surveyed about the strain in their relationships.

"Overall, our results suggested that marital/cohabitating relationships were inversely related to HbA1c levels regardless of dimensions of spousal support or strain," the study authors concluded. "Likewise, these relationships appeared to have a protective effect against HbA1c levels above the pre-diabetes threshold."

In other words, marriage will keep your blood sugar low, even if you are feeling disconnected from the stress of raising young children. So when you and your spouse finally get a break to share a pint of ice cream, there will be less guilt knowing that you're keeping each other below the "pre-diabetes threshold."

Love continues to be sweet and sour.

Good New, Dad News

• 📸 🏈 Jay-Z was spotted at the Super Bowl being an "Instagram Dad" snapping pictures of his daughter Blue Ivy on the field. Or as one Twitter user astutely pointed out out since Blue Ivy is only 11-years-old, it was probably for TikTok.

• 🇺🇸🍺 President Joe Biden was not interviewed on Super Bowl Sunday, a tradition among presidents past. The White House claimed that Fox Corp had called for the cancellation. Given that Donald Trump bailed on his Super Bowl interview in 2018 amid tensions with NBC about coverage about him, there has been speculation that Biden is not doing the interview for the same reason. Either way, more time for beer commercials.

• 📱❌ If you want to have a healthy relationship with you romantic partner, you might have to give up some quality time with your phone, a new study says. As suspicious as it may seem, the researchers were not your wife.

• ☀️💃 Part of the sun appeared to break off and circulate around the top of the giant star like a huge "polar vortex," according to images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and multiple reports. Although seems like the sky is falling, don't be alarmed. Astronomer and space weather forecaster Dr. Tamitha Skov clarified that this is totally normal and part of a "stunning solar ballet!"

If You Want To Get Closer to Your Spouse, Show Your Cards

Card games that are conversation starters have become a growing trend ever since the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed our social skills. And while games like "Let's Get Real Bro" aren't exactly romantic, "We're Not Really Strangers" has three different tiers of cards for people in love, learning to love, and looking for love.

But let's assume you're already married, or at least in a long-term committed relationship. If you're looking for a creative last minute Valentine's Day gift, or a just-because present to reconnect with, "Where Should We Begin" could be the cards for you.

"The pandemic left us missing intimacy and play. So I created a game that helped us do both. The game is designed to help us connect and reconnect in a time of social atrophy," psychotherapist Esther Perel said about the game, which is named after her popular podcast.

As an author of the book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence and orator of several TED Talks, Perel is one of the top relationship experts working right now — think Dr. Drew, but for marriage. If nothing else, you may take away some individualized lessons from her large body of work that could strengthen your relationship... even if you're playing games.

Parting Paternalism: I Guess You're Just What I Needed

There are a lot of big-ticket items to worry about as a father: being a provider, protecting your family, and showing up for everyone emotionally are only the obvious and overwhelming areas to start with. And these concerns alone will keep you plenty busy for most of your life.

That said, the rise of a recent saying on Twitter and TikTok confirms that whatever you're doing, it is enough. Sometimes all you need is your dad.

Of course, many of these posts lend themselves to humor — with screenshots of texts containing classic dadisms like "not bad for someone who never goes to the gym." Jokes aside, it is oddly soothing to see the saying repeated across social media, almost as if it's a mantra of sorts.

There is a core of sentimentality to the words as well. They illustrate that while all the big things you do are noticed and appreciated, there are many moments where you don't need to try. And these matter a lot too.

In the end, being your own dad self — whether it's sharing weird trivia, making cheesy jokes, and wondering where your sunglasses are when they're always on your head, or any other affectation — is more than enough.

And if it helps, sing "All You Need Is Dad" to the tune of "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles, so you don't forget it. It's easy.

Dad is all you need.