RELATED: Half of People Who Did This Had No Antibodies After Vaccination, Study Says. Not being in a “happy, romantic relationship” can result in fewer antibodies.
It’s no secret that a thriving and satisfied romantic life can contribute to a better quality of life overall, but it may come as a shock to learn that the benefits extend far beyond happiness to directly affect one’s health. The Washington Post recently reported that “people in happy, romantic relationships” tend to enjoy certain health benefits, including “better protection from flu vaccines” due to “higher antibody levels after the shot.” While there have been no formal studies on the subject as it relates to COVID-19, experts speculate that those in happy relationships may gain those same benefits when it comes to the COVID vaccine. “We know that vaccines produce better responses in people who are socially connected,” Steve Cole, PhD, a neuroscientist at UCLA’s School of Medicine, told the newspaper via email. “So relationships and community are more important than ever now as we try to vaccinate our way past the COVID pandemic,” he said. For more COVID vaccine news sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. This may be because spouses encourage a healthier lifestyle overall.
ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Of course, these benefits aren’t conferred by simple virtue of relationship status. Experts explain that there are two common reasons that people in happy relationships tend to exhibit better overall health. First, healthier individuals are more likely to get married than their less-healthy counterparts. Second, once married, spouses tend to encourage one another to engage in healthier habits such as a good diet and exercise. Over time, these factors lead to comparatively greater health, making happily married individuals more likely to produce a robust immune response to vaccines. RELATED: The CDC Says This One Thing Is Most Likely to Cause COVID After Vaccination. In fact, the benefits extend to several other areas of health.
Just how effective are romantic relationship in promoting overall health? A 2017 study published in the journal American Psychologist found that happy marriages are linked with a 49 percent lower mortality rate, and Harvard Health Publishing reports that “the longer a man stays married, the greater his survival advantage over his unmarried peers.” Another study, which observed the effects of happily committed relationships on the life expectancy of prostate cancer patients found that over the 17-year course of the study, “married men survived far longer (median 69 months) than separated and widowed patients (38 months).” However, relationships that cause stress likely have the opposite effect.
Though a healthy relationship can lead to a healthier life, relationships that cause stress may undermine any such benefits. In fact, recent research has found that while high levels of marital satisfaction are associated with better immune responses, stress—whether relationship-oriented or not—can dull one’s immune response to the COVID vaccination. “Vaccine efficacy depends not only on the vaccine but also on characteristics of the vaccinated,” according to a 2021 paper published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. The researchers conclude that “stress, depression, loneliness,” and other psychological factors—each of which can take place within or outside of a relationship—can likely impair immune response to the COVID vaccine. So, as you strive for better health amid the pandemic, be sure to look at the fuller picture. Just as a healthy diet and exercise might help you mitigate COVID risk, so too will your relationships and mental health. RELATED: Do This Immediately After Getting Your Vaccine, Doctors Say.