Is a committed relationship good for your health?

Does having a better half lead to better health? It’s true that sharing your life with someone can do wonderful things for your mental and physical well-being. But those benefits often depend on whether your marriage is a happy one.

“Being married isn’t going to guarantee a stress-free life and excellent health,” says Taly Drimer-Kagan, MD, a psychiatrist in Madison, Tennessee. “What matters here is the quality of the relationship, regardless of whether somebody is married or not.” 

With that in mind, here are some ways a committed relationship can affect the health of your heart, your brain, and more.

A happy marriage might help keep your heart happy. A large body of research has suggested that being married is linked to a lower risk of developing or dying from heart disease, compared to not being married. 

One reason spouses might fare better, heart-wise: “Being happily married decreases stress,” says Dr. Drimer-Kagan. Lower stress could mean lower blood pressure and less risk of inflammation, a well-recognized cardiac risk, she adds. 

Partners might also motivate each other to engage in healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, getting physical activity, and going to regular checkups with a healthcare provider (HCP)—all of which mean good things for your heart. Couples can discourage unhealthy habits linked to heart issues, too. “People who are in a happy relationship are less likely to drink excessively or smoke or engage in other risky behaviors,” says Drimer-Kagan.

It is important to note: While happy marriages may boost heart health, stressful relationships do not. In many cases, they’re linked to poorer heart health. For example, in a 2023 study of committed couples ages 18 to 55, marital or relationship stress was tied to worse recovery after a heart attack. The results were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

One in nine people over age 65 has dementia. There’s some evidence your significant other may play a role in reducing that risk. 

For example, a 2018 review in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry analyzed data from 800,000 people across Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Compare to married people, those who were never married were 42 percent more likely to develop dementia. Widowers also had a 20 percent greater chance of being diagnosed with dementia compared to married people. 

Mariage may help by encouraging social interaction, both at home and with friends, family, and community members outside the home. “Social interaction can increase cognitive reserve, so this means that a person has a greater ability to cope with all the neuropathological damage that is done by dementia,” says Drimer-Kagan. 

A spouse can also play a role in adopting healthy lifestyle habits, going to HCP appointments, and getting necessary screenings, which promote good brain health. Partners may lend encouragement to cutting out habits linked to dementia, like smoking or drinking, as well.

Being satisfied with your long-term relationship could benefit your mental health. Happily married people often have less stress, a higher quality of life, and perhaps even less anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Why? Many experts believe a sound marriage offers support emotionally, socially, and practically. It helps to protect against other factors that negatively affect mental health.

But again, the benefits often depend on the quality of your relationship. Single people are frequently in better mental health than unhappy couples. In fact, poor marital quality is a major risk factor for several mental health disorders. “This is a very important point to make because being married and miserable is actually going to increase the chance of depression,” says Drimer-Kagan. 

One issue that bucks the happy-marriage trend: weight gain. Though marital satisfaction is frequently linked to better health, it’s also often associated with putting on extra pounds. Researchers theorize this is partly because people experience changes in lifestyle and eating habits when they marry. Married people may also devote more time to work and family, perhaps leaving less time for weight management. Some experts believe there’s less incentive to remain in shape after securing a partner, as well.

“People in relationships that are not satisfactory also gain weight,” notes Drimer-Kagan. "The explanation here is that being unhappy leads to eating behavior and sleep problems, which can cause weight gain."