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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.
Sources: Ramezankhani A, Azizi F, Hadaegh F. Asso... + 4
- Ramezankhani A, Azizi F, Hadaegh F. Associations of marital status with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: A long term follow-up study. PLoS One. 2019;14(4):e0215593.
- Dupre ME, Nelson A. Marital history and survival after a heart attack. Soc Sci Med. 2016;170:114-123.
- Till B, Niederkrotenthaler T. Romantic relationships and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: A population-based cross-sectional survey. Front Psychol. 2022;13:857329.
- Farley SD, Carson D, Hughes SM. Just Seconds of Laughter Reveals Relationship Status: Laughter with Friends Sounds More Authentic and Less Vulnerable than Laughter with Romantic Partners. J Nonverbal Behav. 2022;46(4):421-448.
- Park Y, Impett EA, et al.. Saying "thank you": Partners' expressions of gratitude protect relationship satisfaction and commitment from the harmful effects of attachment insecurity. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2019;117(4):773-806.
