There are many factors that influence how long we live. We know exercising and eating healthy can contribute to a long lifespan, but sharing a drink with your significant other? That wasn’t at the top of our list.
A 2023 study published in the scientific journal The Gerontologist found that couples who have the same drinking habits and throw back a few together at happy hour are more likely to live longer.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Kira S. Birditt, a University of Michigan research professor, was inspired by a theory called “the drinking partnership,” which suggests that couples with similar drinking habits also have healthier marriages. Her 2023 study builds on her existing research from 2016.
“We’re not sure why this is happening,” Dr. Birditt told Reuters regarding her 2016 findings. “But it could be that couples that do more leisure time activities together have better marital quality.”
The 2023 study analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, which surveys a representative sample of Americans over 50 every two years. Participants were asked whether they had consumed any alcohol in the past three months, and couples were categorized based on whether both, one, or neither partner drank. The results showed that couples who reported drinking alcohol within the last three months had better survival rates than couples in which only one or neither partner drank.
You might be wondering how these findings make sense when there’s also a lot of research revealing the negative effects of alcohol consumption. Earlier this year, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory warned of the cancer risk linked to drinking alcohol.
While the reasons behind Dr. Birditt’s findings are still being explored, they suggest that shared habits — even something as simple as enjoying a drink together — may contribute to both relationship satisfaction and longevity.
“The study points more to social connection than the alcohol itself,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, Chief Medical Advisor for Garage Gym Reviews, tells Delish. “When both partners share a habit — good or bad — it can strengthen their relationship, which may help with longevity and stress.”
But, Dr. Dasgupta (who was not involved in the study) adds, this benefit doesn’t “cancel out” the risks associated with alcohol.
“Shared drinking might make you feel more connected in the short term, but the long-term health impact of alcohol doesn’t change based on whether your partner joins you,” he says.
In an article on the University of Michigan’s website, Dr. Birditt said her team don’t know why a couple that drinks might have longer lives, but the findings highlight how spouses can influence each other’s health. When couples share similar drinking habits, it may reflect greater compatibility in their lifestyles, intimacy, and overall relationship satisfaction.
“We’ve also found in other studies that couples who drink together tend to have better relationship quality, and it might be because it increases intimacy,” Birditt said.
Looking ahead, she says future research should look at the implications of couples’ drinking patterns for both daily marital quality and physical health outcomes.
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