Science shows that a Shared smile as a couple It can have unexpected effects on health: reduce he pressure, Calms the body and Promotes well-being. This is reflected in a recent international study, which confirms how emotional synchronization in adults directly affects physiological balance, especially when they both experience positive emotions at the same time.
Sharing these moments can be key to reducing stress in adult life, according to research published in the journal American Psychological Association (APA). The work, which analyzed more than 600 older adults in Canada and Germany, concluded that in couples Share happy situationslevels Cortisol – Stress-related hormone – decreaseseven in completely unsatisfactory relationships. The results were published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Led search Tomiko YonedaPh.D., from University of California DavisIn collaboration with an international team, I proposed a different approach from traditional studies. While these typically analyze emotions at an individual level, the team explored the impact of experiencing positive emotions together on older couples’ daily lives and their physical impact.
“We know from a lot of research that emotions like happiness, joy, love, and excitement are associated with greater longevity and better health. However, most studies analyze them as if they occurred in isolation,” Yoneda said, according to APA.
To bolster this analysis, the researchers collected data from 321 couples (642 people) between the ages of 56 and 89, residing in Canada and Germany. For a week, participants answered between five and seven daily electronic surveys about their emotional state, focusing on sensations such as happiness, relaxation, and interest.
After each scan, they provided a saliva sample to measure cortisol levels. The team met 23,931 individual measurementsThis allowed us to observe the relationship between shared emotions and stress response in detail.
The results showed that Cortisol levels decreased when Both spouses reported positive feelings simultaneously. This effect persisted even when controlling for variables such as age, gender, medication use, and typical fluctuations in cortisol during the day, which tend to be highest in the morning. The hormonal decline depended not only on individual positive emotions, but on the moment we lived together.
Yoneda highlighted the uniqueness of the finding: “There was something particularly powerful about sharing those positive emotions together. Moreover, we observed that these shared moments had lasting effects,” according to the American Psychiatric Association. When couples felt joint safety, cortisol remained low several hours later, indicating this The shared emotional experience helps keep you calm throughout the day.
One notable aspect of the study is the incidence of benefit Regardless of relationship satisfaction. Even in couples who did not consider themselves particularly happy, sharing positive emotions had a calming effect on the body. This extends the findings, showing that shared enjoyable moments benefit health, without relying on the overall quality of the bond.
“This work is based on theory Positive echoYoneda said, according to the APA, which suggests that when people share positive emotions and maintain synchronous connection, emotional and physiological well-being are enhanced. To date, most studies have analyzed individual emotions, so this approach offers A new vision of the value of social interaction for health.
Looking to the future, Yoneda expressed interest in investigating whether these benefits could extend to other types of relationships such as friendships, coworkers, or family. APA highlights that according to positive resonance theory, these moments of emotional connection can occur between any pair of people, opening possibilities for new research and promoting well-being in different social contexts.