Research shows that men from polygamist cultures live 12 per cent longer than those who limit their affections to one woman at a time.
It is thought men benefit from having a fuss made over them by a gaggle of women. They may also better care of themselves into old age when they have a large family to feed, this week’s New Scientist reports.
Sheffield University researchers uncovered the ‘benefits’ of polygamy by scrutinising World Health Organization data on marriage practices and on life span.
The analysis shows that men who live in countries where it is common to have more than one wife tend to outlive their monogamous counterparts.
