Can your relationship status make a difference in your overall well-being? To borrow a commonly used Facebook phrase, it’s complicated. Research shows that strong partnerships can help us avoid illness, adopt healthier habits, and even live longer. On the other hand, troubled relationships tend to breed stress and weaken immunity.
“So many factors affect our health, whether it’s the behaviors we exhibit toward each other or the habits that we pass on to each other,” says psychologist Maryann Troiani, co-author of Spontaneous Optimism. So whether you’re dating casually, cohabiting, or already married, keep in mind these 12 key ways your romantic bond may influence your mind and body.
Weight gain
It’s a common belief that couples “let themselves go” after pairing off, and there may be something to it. According to a 2012 review, people tend to gain weight as they settle into marriage and lose weight when a marriage ends.
But Troiani has seen the opposite happen quite often, as well: “A happy couple can motivate each other to stay healthy—they’ll go to the gym together, set goals, and feel responsible for each other.” When couples do pack on the pounds, she adds, it may be a symptom of conflict, not slacking off. “Dissatisfaction in the relationship can lead to passive-aggressive eating behaviors and sleep problems, which will lead to weight gain,” she says.
Stress levels
Surprise, surprise: Regular physical intimacy appears to reduce stress and boost well-being. One study, published in 2009 in the 
Journal of Sexual Medicine, found that people who frequently had sex were healthier mentally and more likely to report greater satisfaction with their relationship and life overall.
Sex is just one aspect of a relationship, however. And your partner’s behavior outside the bedroom can just as easily send stress levels soaring in the opposite direction. Parenting disputes, disagreements over money, or even questions as simple as who does which household chores have been shown to increase stress…
Read More: foxnews.com
