It turns out that there is one simple thing you can do with your partner to guarantee a long relationship – and a long life.
And, before your mind falls firmly into the gutter, it’s not what you think it is.
Scientists say that couples who regularly drink together tend to live longer than those where neither partner drinks, or only one does.
The study, by Professor Birditt at The University of Michigan, found that couples with the same, or similar, drinking behaviours survived longer than those who didn’t.
She also found that ‘light drinking predicted better survival rates among individuals and their partners, compared with abstaining and heavy drinking.’
So don’t use this as an excuse to start popping bottles every night of the week.
While the couples questioned didn’t give specifics on exactly how much they drink, those who had drunk alcohol in the last three months lived longer than those who did not.
Professor Birditt’s work built upon previous research, which showed that couples who had the same drinking habits tended to be happier.
For that 2016 research, Birditt and her colleagues analysed responses from 4,864 married participants, in 2,767 couples. In particular, women were more dissatisfied in their marriage over time when only they, and not their husband, drank.
Scientists said they weren’t exactly sure why drinking together meant longer survival rates.
They did have more of an idea when it came to marriage satisfaction though: ‘it could be that couples that do more leisure time activities together have better marital quality,’ Birditt said.
So, next time you and your significant other share enjoy a glass of wine together, you can tell yourselves it’s good for you.
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