Sharing when we’re feeling good isn’t just a nice thing to do; it could be good for our health – even if we’re in a less satisfying relationship.
Sharing moments of happiness isn’t just good for your mood; it could be good for your health, too. A new study, Better Together: Coexperienced positive emotions and cortisol secretion in the daily lives of older couples, by the American Psychological Association (APA), has revealed that sharing happy moments with your partner could be good for older people’s mental health. Research suggests that sharing positive emotions with a partner can help lower the level of cortisol (stress hormone).
Lead author of the study, Tomiko Yoneda, PhD, from the University of California Davis, said, “We know from lots of research that positive emotions like happiness, joy, love and excitement are good for our health – they’ve even been linked to living longer. But most of this research looks at people’s emotions as if they happen in isolation. We wanted to understand how often older couples share positive emotional moments in their everyday lives, and whether these shared moments affect the body in meaningful ways.”
Researchers looked at the cortisol levels in older adults (aged 56-89), examining data from three studies with a total of 642 participants (321 couples) in Canada and Germany. Participants provided background and demographic information, in addition to answering short surveys about their emotional state five to seven times a day over the course of one week. Focusing on positive emotions, participants were asked how happy, relaxed, and interested they felt in the moment. Saliva samples were then collected to measure cortisol levels.
Research revealed that couples where both partners were together and reported positive emotions had lower cortisol levels. Researchers found that this effect wasn’t just because one person felt good; it came from both sharing positive emotions together.
Sharing positive emotions doesn’t just have an immediate good effect; according to research, there are signs that these shared positive moments can have lasting effects. Couples who felt good together had lower cortisol levels later that day, suggesting that co-experiencing positive emotions may help your body to stay calmer over time. The same positive effect was seen to happen within couples that weren’t feeling particularly happy with their overall relationship. Partners who shared positive emotions but weren’t particularly satisfied with their relationship still saw the calming benefits on their bodies.
Researchers hope to examine how shared positive emotions can affect us outside of our romantic relationships, looking at how friends, coworkers, and family members can impact us and potentially boost our emotional and psychological well-being.
How do our emotions affect our physical and mental health?
How we feel mentally and emotionally can have an impact on physical health. Research suggests that having an upbeat mental state can improve overall health, including lowering blood pressure, reducing risk of heart disease, having a healthier weight and better blood sugar levels, while negative emotions can trigger the part of your brain which plays a role in fear and anxiety.
When we experience more positive emotions, it can help us build our resilience and feel more satisfied with life. Feeling happier can also help to encourage healthier, sustainable behaviours that can further boost our overall health and wellbeing, such as encouraging us to eat a healthier diet and exercise more.
This latest research adds to the growing body of evidence that sharing joy and positivity isn’t just a nice thing to do, it can benefit us – and those we love – more than we might realise. Sharing even small moments together may just have a lasting effect on our health, stress levels, and emotional bonds.
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