“A
smiling spouse is your ticket to a healthier, longer life". This finding
significantly broadens assumptions about the relationship between happiness and
health, suggesting a unique social link," said William Chopik, assistant
Professor of Psychology at
In
the study of 1,981 middle-age couples, researchers found that people with happy
spouses were much more likely to report better health over time.
Previous
research suggests happy people are generally healthy people but Chopik wanted
to take it one step further by exploring the health effects of interpersonal
relationships.
According
to him, happy partners likely provide stronger social support, such as
care-taking, as compared to unhappy partners who are more likely to be focused
on their own stressors.
"Happy
partners may get unhappy people involved with activities and environments that promote
good health, such as maintaining regular sleep cycles, eating nutritious food,
and exercising," Chopik added.
Being
with a happy partner should make a person's life easier even if not explicitly
happier.
"Simply
knowing that one's partner is satisfied with his or her individual
circumstances may temper a person's need to seek self-destructive outlets, such
as drinking or drugs, and may more generally offer contentment in ways that
afford health benefits down the road," Chopik pointed out.
The
study examined the survey information of couples age 50 to 94, including
happiness, self-rated health, and physical activity over a six-year period.
The
results showed no difference between husbands and wives in the study.
The
study was published by the American Psychological Association in the journal,
Health Psychology.
The
New Indian Express
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