Your partner’s good humor has a huge impact on your health: Study

You know the saying, “What is yours is mine”?

Well, it seems that this can be true for more than just your husband’s socks.

A recent study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that your partner’s good condition can make you feel happier as well.

Researchers analyzed the data of 321 couples from Germany and Canada and found that when one’s partner was feeling pampered that he usually lowered their cortisol levels – stress hormone – also if they were not feeling so well to start.

This effect was even more pronounced among the elderly who reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction.

What is interesting to note is that the opposite was not necessarily true – it means that there was no observed link between one’s bad humor and their partner cortisol levels.

The participants were not exactly the spring chickens in the middle of their honeymoon period – they were between 56 and 87 years old, and the average couple had been together for 43.97 years.

As such, the lead author Tomiko Yoneda, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis believes that the findings suggest that older couples in long -term relationships find ways to protect one another from the influence of negative emotions.

This is significant, as adults can often find it more difficult to regulate their mood as they grow old. Cortisol tends to stay elevated for longer periods in the elderly after a stressful event, and an aging brain can fight to adapt to stressors over time.

When adding the effects of chronic physical pain, reduced mobility and social insulation – it can be a very deplorable experience.

These results highlight the importance of trying to maintain a good mood around your spouse-as it can act as a psychological buffer against age-related stress.

“Having positive emotions with your relationship partner can act as a social source,” Yoneda said.

This is not the first time science has emphasized the health benefits of a cheerful partner.

A 2016 study found that people with happy spouses were more likely to report better health over time, regardless of their levels of happiness.

Similarly, an 85-year-old Harvard research project concluded that happy marriages are the key to long and healthy life.