When your spouse is in a good mood, you might feel happier too, but according to new research, their emotional state could be affecting you on a much deeper level. Scientists have discovered that when your partner experiences positive emotions, it might actually lower your cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone in your body, regardless of how you yourself are feeling. This biological connection between older couples adds a whole new dimension to what it means to be in a relationship.
“Having positive emotions with your relationship partner can act as a social resource,” says lead study author Tomiko Yoneda, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, in a statement.
The Aging Body and Stress Management
Study results, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, are especially telling for older adults in committed relationships. As we get older, our bodies become worse at regulating stress responses, making us more vulnerable to the harmful effects of high cortisol. But a partner who maintains positive emotions might act as a biological buffer against stress.
The research team analyzed data from 321 older couples from Canada and Germany. These weren’t new relationships. The average couple had been together for 43.97 years. Each participant, aged between 56 and 87, completed surveys multiple times daily for a week, reporting their emotions while also providing saliva samples to measure cortisol. Partners completed surveys at the same time but separately, so they couldn’t influence each other’s responses.
Your Mood, My Body
When people reported feeling more positive than usual, their cortisol levels were lower. But when someone’s partner reported more positive emotions than usual, that person’s cortisol was also lower, regardless of how they themselves were feeling. In simple terms, your partner’s good mood might be doing your body good, even if you’re not sharing their happiness.
This connection extended beyond moment-to-moment measurements to total daily cortisol output. When someone’s partner reported higher positive emotions than usual throughout the day, that person showed lower overall cortisol for the day. This link was stronger for older participants and those who reported being happier in their relationships. In some cases, the effect of a partner’s emotions on cortisol was even stronger than the effect of one’s own emotions.
While a partner’s positive emotions were linked to lower cortisol, the researchers didn’t find any connection between a partner’s negative emotions and cortisol levels. Yoneda explained that this makes sense because older adults often develop ways to shield their partners from the physiological effects of negative emotions.
Quality Relationships Make a Difference
The emotional climate of your relationship may be an overlooked factor in your physical health. When your partner tends toward happiness, interest, or relaxation, their emotional state could be protecting your stress physiology.
This doesn’t mean you should pressure your partner to be constantly happy. Rather, these findings point to potential health benefits that come from fostering positive emotional experiences together. Creating opportunities for shared good times might be more than just relationship maintenance; it could be a mutual health boost.
“Relationships provide an ideal source of support, especially when those are high-quality relationships,” says Yoneda. “These dynamics may be particularly important in older adulthood.”
The association between a partner’s positive emotions and lower cortisol was most pronounced for people who reported higher relationship satisfaction. In happy relationships, partners may be more tuned in to each other’s emotional states.
Yoneda noted that these results fit with psychological theories suggesting positive emotions help us act more fluidly in the moment. These experiences can create positive feedback loops that enhance this capability over time. People in relationships can share these benefits when they experience positive emotions together.
Your partner’s happiness might be doing more than lighting up the room. It could be helping regulate your stress physiology in ways that boost your long-term health. In long-term relationships, emotions truly become a shared resource. What’s yours really is mine, right down to the hormonal level. So perhaps the age-old advice to “choose a happy partner” carries more biological wisdom than we ever realized?
Source : https://studyfinds.org/lower-stress-as-you-age-happy-partner/