A Walk Together Could Strengthen Your Marriage
Young married couples who exercise together tend to experience healthier communication, better conflict resolution and lower levels of marital stress, according to new research from Brigham Young University. The study, published in Family Relations, found that while physical activity was generally associated with healthier marital relationships, the benefits were more consistent when spouses exercised together rather than separately. Researchers analyzed survey data from nearly 1,700 married couples participating in the nationally representative Couple Relationships and Transition Experiences (CREATE) study, which has followed newly married couples in the United States for more than a decade.
The findings suggest that couples may gain relationship benefits from making physical activity a shared experience, even when the exercise itself is relatively simple. Jeremy Yorgason, a professor at Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life, said the research indicated that exercising together could have a modest but meaningful effect on how couples handle disagreements. The researchers found that couples who participated in physical activity together reported more positive experiences in communication and conflict resolution. They were also more likely to describe their marriages as having lower levels of stress. Although the relationship between exercise and marital wellbeing was not large, its consistency across the outcomes examined was significant, the researchers said.
Walking emerged as the most commonly reported form of exercise undertaken jointly by spouses. Researchers believe its simplicity may help explain the connection between shared exercise and better communication. Unlike some forms of exercise that require intense concentration or make conversation difficult, walking allows couples to remain physically active while talking. Ashlyn Hiatt Mildenhall, who worked on the research with Yorgason, said communication recorded the strongest relationship among the three marital outcomes examined. The study also found that couples who exercised together were more likely to say their spouses listened to them and made them feel heard and supported. Such everyday interactions may contribute to healthier ways of dealing with disagreements and could strengthen the sense of emotional connection between partners.
The findings add to wider relationship research suggesting that how couples spend time together can influence relationship quality. Previous studies have associated shared enjoyable and new experiences with increased closeness and relationship satisfaction. The latest research extends the investigation of exercise and relationships to younger married couples, following earlier work by Yorgason involving older spouses. The researchers stressed that couples do not necessarily need expensive gym memberships, specialized equipment or demanding exercise programmes to potentially benefit from exercising together. A regular walk around the neighbourhood, a hike or another shared physical activity could provide both exercise and an opportunity for spouses to talk without the distractions of everyday routines.
The researchers cautioned, however, that the study identifies an association between shared exercise and healthier relationship outcomes rather than proving that exercising together directly causes better marriages. Still, the findings point to a low-cost and accessible habit that could give couples more opportunities to communicate, listen to each other and spend meaningful time together. For couples looking for a simple way to combine physical activity with quality time, the evidence suggests that sometimes a healthier relationship may begin with nothing more complicated than taking a walk together.
By: Joyce Owusu
