Did you know that being in a committed relationship may actually improve your health?

A 2019 study in PLoS One found that compared to married men, never-married men were at an increased risk for developing hypertension. Mortality rates also increased in the never-married population. And in a 2016 study from Social Science & Medicine, researchers found that never-married, divorced, or widowed adults were more likely to die after a heart attack compared to those who were continuously married.

Committed relationships can also positively affect mental health. A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people in happy relationships experienced better mental health than single people or people in less satisfying or lower-commitment relationships.

So, what’s the secret to a strong relationship? And are you and your partner’s habits in line with what’s healthy? Marriage and family therapist Bruce Conn of Coliseum Medical Center in Macon, Georgia, shares some of the things happy couples do and some of the things they don’t.