Humans have a basic need to feel connected to others. When people are asked what makes life meaningful, most say satisfying close relationships, especially romantic relationships, come first.

Our functioning relies heavily on relationships. Marriage and other long-term romantic relationships can significantly impact our mental health. Conversely, our mental health can greatly affect the quality of our romantic relationship.

In this article, we will see what science has to say about the connection between romantic relationships and mental health.

Romantic Relationships And Health

The quality of marriage and how spouses interact directly affect physiological changes in partners. For instance, studies show that wives who are less satisfied with their marriage tend to have higher ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) at home, especially in the presence of their spouse, compared to when they are at work.

Also, people in unhappy marriages tend to have higher ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) compared to single individuals. This suggests that being in a dissatisfying marriage could be potentially worse for health than being single.

Stressful interpersonal events can weaken the immune system, making an organism more susceptible to various illnesses. Couples who struggle to effectively manage marital disagreements may subject themselves to increased physiological stress over time, potentially making them more vulnerable to health issues.

Romantic Relationships And Mental Health

Do Mentally Healthy People Get Married

Selection Model. This model suggests that mentally healthy individuals are more likely to enter relationships.

Studies reveal that individuals with better mental health are more inclined to enter marriage. Furthermore, those who enter and maintain marriage tend to have been happier than average before marriage.

Is Marriage Associated With Better Mental Health

Experience Model. This model suggests that romantic relationships and mental health influence one another.

Relationship quality affects how relationship status influences mental health: being in a healthy, satisfying relationship improves mental well-being, and improving the relationship tends to lead to better mental health.

Marriage Vs. Cohabitation

The type of relationship (marriage versus cohabitation) offers advantages beyond just being in a partnership, possibly due to the higher level of commitment found in more formally established relationships like marriage.

Relationships And Depression

In a two-year study, it was found that feeling depressed led to less happiness in marriage over time, and also, being less happy in marriage led to more depressive symptoms.

Relationships And Well-being

One of the few things consistently linked to subjective well-being (SWB) is romantic relationships. 

People who are divorced or separated tend to be significantly less happy than those who are married, according to data from various nations.

Studies suggest that getting married initially makes people happier, but eventually, they usually go back to feeling as happy as they were before. However, how someone feels when they first get married affects how long it takes to get back to their original happiness level. Some people even end up happier than they were before they got married.

People who go through a divorce often feel a big drop in their happiness that doesn’t bounce back to their usual level. The same goes for when someone’s spouse dies.

Related: How Your Attachment Style Affects Your Relationships

Summary

Mentally healthier people tend to choose to be in relationships, but being in a relationship also affects mental health. The type of romantic relationship is important – research shows that committed relationships like marriage have more benefits than less committed ones like cohabitation. The relationship between relationships and mental health goes both ways.

Improving relationships can make mental health better, but making mental health better doesn’t always make relationships better.

References

1. Braithwaite, S., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). Romantic relationships and Mental Health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.04.001 
2. Stanton, S. C., & Campbell, L. (2013). Psychological and physiological predictors of health in romantic relationships: An attachment perspective. Journal of Personality, 82(6), 528–538. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12056