Relationships, Good Connections, and Human Flourishing/Longevity
Speaking with members of the LL&F Club in preparation for our upcoming event at Stanford (scheduled for a day before Valentine’s day and themed around relationships, human connections and love) it became clear that (fortunately) most of us have had the joy of experiencing strong, mutual, loving relationships — whether social or romantic or both. In these fun conversations folks shared that those deep connections usually resulted in boosts to their energy levels, stamina, sharpness of mind, and overall well-being. Although those benefits were reported by the majority of the participants, our little survey was still anecdotal. So in true LL&F Club fashion, we went on a hunt for scientific studies supporting the connection between relationship/love and better HealthSpan/human flourishing. Here are some of the fascinating studies we’ve uncovered:
Flourishing with meaningful relationships
A great place to start was a longitudinal, 82 years long, Harvard University study that’s still ongoing (!) This deep study that started in 1938 is considered one of the most prolific studies of adult life. As an interim observation, the researchers concluded that “people (in the study) who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships with family, with friends, (and) with (their) community.” Although these findings provide good indication of the importance of relationship to our overall well-being and flourishing, the study did not cover the potential impact these relationships may, or may not have, on longevity.
Dr. Stephanie Brown did take the life-span route when examining the context of longevity in another interesting Stony Brook University study on relationships. She and her team found that “mortality was significantly reduced for individuals who reported providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors.” A similar study by Sarah Konrath at the University of Michigan supported and extended Brown’s findings by showing that volunteerism predicted a longer life. Together, these two studies draw a connections between social relationships, especially ones with a giving component, and a longer life. Surprisingly, on the flip side, Brown’s study found that “receiving support had no effect on mortality.” Brown also concluded that mortality rates were reduced for “individuals who reported providing emotional support to their spouses”, which is a nice segue to our next topic: romantic relationships.
Meaningful relationships prolong better lives
As Gen Z’s are entering the adult phase of their lives, and Millennials are well into their adult phase, it’s noticeable that even for these younger generations marriage remains the ‘default setting’ for long-term, romantic relationships. A sweeping study conducted by Cardiff University School of Medicine of one billion person years across seven European countries found that married people had age adjusted mortality rates that were 10–15% lower than the population as a whole. While this study did not take into account the duration of the relationships or the age of the participants, another different 30-year longitudinal research study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry did so and found that the duration of a relationship was associated with (a) better mental health scores, and (b) lower mortality rates (reversely correlated with the participants’ age.)
The same study also looked into the influence relationships have on our mental well-being, and its findings shine a new light on the different gains men and women get from being in a relationship. The researchers found that “in terms of physical health, men benefited more from being in a relationship than women, but in terms of mental health women benefit more than men.” The researchers offered their own hypothesis to what they observed, stating that physical health premium for men was likely to be caused by their partner’s positive influence on their lifestyle, whereas the mental health ‘bonus’ for women might have been a result of the greater emphasis that women put on the importance of the relationship for their well-being.
Another interesting study, published in CMAJ, analyzed the active role women play in their spouse’s health. This study found that among men experiencing acute myocardial infraction with chest pain, being married was associated with seeking care significantly earlier. Seeking care faster eventually resulted in a lower risk of cardiovascular death among married men, relative to their single counterparts. Two hypotheses that could explain these findings : one, that women in relationships encourage men to seek help quickly when worrisome symptoms present themselves (an example for a good Risk Reduction technique, which is one of our LL&F pillars). A second hypothesis could be that married men are more inclined to seek help thanks to an elevated sense of responsibility and commitment (an example of a good Brain and Mind technique, which is another one of our LL&F pillars).
A word of caution about tense relationships
Unfortunately, there’s also a potential dark side to the relationship coin. Researchers at Ohio State University College of Medicine found that “couples with higher levels of hostility towards each other heal from wounds — actual injuries — at only 60% of the rate of couples considered to have low hostility levels.” The researchers stated that the biological reasoning behind this finding was that those in hostile relationships had marked differences in levels of a key immune chemical called interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine that helps balance the immune response. Increased levels stimulate the healing process, but too much appears to overwhelm it. High-hostility couples had an overly sensitized IL-6 response. Their normal IL-6 levels were generally too low, but following conflict they produced an exaggerated response.
The choices we make when we love and connect
As complicated love and relationships may be, so can be the influence they have on our HealthSpan, our well-being, and our longevity — for both the better and/or for the worse. Human connections seem to impact not only the way we feel, but also the way we make decisions and act.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that people in relationships make better health choices when encouraged and supported by their partners. It also demonstrated that when one partner changed to a healthier behavior, the other partner was more likely to follow through and make the same positive change.
These studies can provide helpful hints on our roadmap to a healthier, happier, longer life. When we form and sustain meaningful relationships, and when we give love and get love in return, we engage in a mutually beneficial partnership that can help us not only feel great, but can also improve our overall health and well-being. Forming and deepening good positive human bonds can help prolong our life expectancy, and help us make better choices in order to better and prolong these relationships as much as we possibly can. These together form the perfect combination of a Healthy HACK⁺ and a Motivating TRICK* that together can help folks everywhere live healthier, happier, longer lives!
Live Long and Flourish 🖖🏻
