Do Relationships Affect Our Physical Health?

Find out how happy and healthy relationships can improve your overall health. And how toxic relationships affect physical health.

By Sara Novak
May 24, 2023 3:00 PM
Silhouette of couple holding hands in a heart shape
(Credit:Milos Vucicevic/Shutterstock)

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The relationships you choose don’t just impact your mental health. The stress or happiness they cultivate also affects your long-term and short-term physical health.

Researchers are finding that the quality of our relationships with our partners, family members and friends can be as important, or in some cases, more important, to human health than habits like smoking, diet, exercising and drinking alcohol.

Humans are social beings meant to work together toward a common goal, and, as a result, our well-being is closely tied to these ever-important interactions. 

What Is a Healthy Relationship?

According to Rosie Shrout, an assistant professor in human development and family science at Purdue University, a healthy relationship may vary in how it looks from person to person.

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