Researchers Found Links Between Having A Happy Spouse And Better Overall Health

An interesting new study may have just taken the phrase "happy wife, happy life" to a whole new level. Researchers found that having a happy spouse can make a person's life easier which may mean better health especially among middle-aged and older adults.

According to Medical Daily, the recent study published in Healthy Psychology found that happy spouses give stronger social support like care taking compared to an unhappy spouse who is usually more focused on their own problems and stress.

"This finding significantly broadens assumptions about the relationship between happiness and health, suggesting a unique social link," said William Chopik, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University and principal investigator of the study. "Simply having a happy partner may enhance health as much as striving to be happy oneself."

Furthermore, the study showed that cheerful partners may possibly persuade unhappy people to get involved with activities and environments that can be beneficial for the health such as maintaining regular sleep cycles, eating nutritious food, and exercising, reported Science Daily.

A report by afr.com stated that researchers simply said that the fact that your partner is satisfied with his or her circumstances may also curb the need to get involved in self-destructive vices such as drinking or doing drugs. It may also promote a general feeling of contentment in a way that would benefit the health in the future.

"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," said Chopik.

It is also important to note that the study followed 1,981 middle-age heterosexual couples and found that people with happy spouses were much more likely to report better health over time. Researchers also studied survey information of the couples, age 50 to 94, and those who took part in the study rated their own happiness and life satisfaction. Interestingly, the results, which applied regardless of gender revealed no difference between husbands and wives.