What if the secret to a longer, healthier life isn’t found in a pill, but in the arms of your loved one?
Did you know that the quality of your close relationships can impact your health as much as quitting smoking or maintaining a healthy weight?
We’ve discussed how emotional intimacy impacts the quality of our marriage relationship, but research shows there is a strong link between emotional connections in our relationships and our physical well-being.
Your relationship could be the most potent medicine in your cabinet.
7 Ways Emotional Intimacy Affects Your Physical Health
In this video, we explore 7 ways emotional intimacy benefits your physical health.
Based on the latest research, emotional intimacy = better health.
1. Stress Reduction and Hormonal Balance:
A study by Stadler found that close relationships, characterized by emotional intimacy, exert influence on health in daily life.
– Greater quality of social support was associated with lower cortisol concentrations. Cortisol is a primary stress hormone, and lower levels indicate reduced stress.
– Individuals with larger social networks had lower blood pressure.
2. Cardiovascular Health:
Research has shown that emotional intimacy in relationships can affect cardiovascular health:
– People who participated in a “Couple Contact Enhancement” intervention, which focused on improving emotional intimacy, had greater increases in salivary oxytocin. Oxytocin is associated with feelings of love and long-term connection, and it has been shown to have cardioprotective effects.
– A greater frequency of daily interpersonal stress was associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory indicator of cardiovascular health.
3. Sleep Quality:
– Women slept better on nights when they perceived less negative interactions with their partners during the day.
– Men slept better on nights when their partners noted increased positive interactions that day.
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4. Pain Management:
Emotional support, a key component of emotional intimacy, has been shown to affect pain perception:
– Patients with osteoarthritis who sought emotional support one day experienced less pain the following day.
5. Overall Health and Longevity:
Studies have shown that emotional intimacy can have broad impacts on health:
– People who are more socially connected to family, friends, or their community are happier, physically healthier, and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected. [NOTE: This is significant because it suggest many mental health issues are not genetic]
– The quality of close relationships matters more than the quantity.
– Living in conflict or within a toxic relationship is more damaging than being alone.
6. Inflammation and Immune Function:
Research by Uchino and Way suggests that the quality of close family relationships can affect endocrine function, immune function, and nervous system activity.
These systems are linked to leading causes of illness and death, including cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, and cancer.
7. Mental Health and Physical Symptoms:
While not directly physical health, mental health often has physical manifestations:
– Women who reported higher-quality and more meaningful social interactions, less loneliness, and less fear of negative evaluation also reported fewer daily somatic symptoms (e.g., headaches, digestive issues).
Wrap Up
These findings collectively demonstrate that emotional intimacy, characterized by high-quality relationships, social support, and positive interactions, can have significant positive effects on various aspects of physical health, including stress reduction, cardiovascular health, sleep quality, pain management, and overall longevity.
What are you doing to build emotional intimacy in your relationship?
Click here to access the eBook, ‘Emotional Security In Marriage.’
Where To Find Help
We have resources to help you create the marriage you desire and deserve:
Connecting and Communicating
1000 Questions For Couples is designed to help you connect on a deeper level to create intimacy and trust in your relationship.
Relationship Rewrite will help you regain and rediscover the magic and love you once shared.
Take the Marriage Quiz and discover your marriage score and get suggestions on how to improve your relationship. You will also be sent the results of your quiz along with suggestions on how to create the marriage of your dreams. >> Take The Quiz Now <<
Physical Intimacy
Respark the Romance helps couples capture passion in their marriage.
Why Men Pull Away addresses the issue of why men tend to withdraw and how to effectively get them to reengage.
Secret Survey is based on the research of Michael Fiore after surveying thousands of men. It is enlightening. Designed for women.
Our Courses and Quiz
We have courses available that will help you grow your marriage relationship and create the marriage you desire and deserve. Visit our course library here.
You can also take our Marriage Quiz to get your marriage score and find practical ways to increase communication, intimacy, and trust in your relationship.
