Is a happy wife the secret to growing old gracefully?
![A new study reveals that people with happy wives are more likely to live a healthy, longer life. [Photo: Getty]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1.AUG1pZAOe5vt5iCuwsEw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02Nzc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/cf6102cef57eebeda3b772e8991ddc00)
We’ve all heard the saying “happy wife, happy life” before and it turns out, there might be some truth to it.
According to a new study, if your wife or husband is a happy person, you’re more likely to lead a healthier and longer life.
The study found that a spouse’s life satisfaction has more of an impact on your health than your own life satisfaction.
READ MORE: Man claims he stays healthy by snorting his own urine
That’s to say that your husband or wife can live longer on the back of your happiness than they can on their own.
If that’s not the definition of a modern day love story, what is?
The study looked at over 4,400 couples over the age of 50 in the US. They also found that couples tended to mirror each other’s behaviours.
For example, if your spouse is active, you’re more likely to be active, too.
READ MORE: The act of smiling can make you happier
It works both ways, though. If your partner is more inclined to binge-watch TV with a takeaway, you too will inhabit this behaviour.
Olga Stavrova is a researcher at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. She said that even if spouses had a less than adequate “physical health status” it still wouldn’t impact them as much as their partner being unhappy.
“The findings underscore the role of individuals’ immediate social environment in their health outcomes,” she said.
READ MORE: Revealed, the two ages we’re most happy at
She continued: “Most importantly, it has the potential to extend our understanding of what makes up individuals’ ‘social environment’ by including the personality and well-being of individuals’ close ones.”
It’s long been suggested that the happier couples are the more longevity their marriage has. This piece of research also proved that, that is indeed the case.
This takes a huge step forward in understanding the inner workings of our minds.
It also explains a few other things, like why you might be stuck on a binge-watching hamster wheel of no return.
