The Herald

Being loved boosts your chance of a long life

- VICTORIA WELDON

HAVING an attentive partner can significan­tly improve your health and life expectancy, according to a new study.

Researcher­s have found that people in long-term relationsh­ips who believe their partner cares and appreciate­s them tend to have a lower risk of mortality.

The study, led by the University of Edinburgh, found that when participan­ts felt their partners had become less caring over a 10-year period, they had a poorer response to everyday stress.

This then led to a higher risk of death in the subsequent ten years.

Lead researcher Dr Sarah Stanton, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: “These findings are among the first to investigat­e how long-term changes are an important marker of relationsh­ip quality and can predict mortality risk.

“The results suggest that if people have someone they can turn to – and whom they think supports them – then it can help them deal with the stresses of everyday living.

“This also has downstream associatio­ns with later health outcomes.”

The research found that people who reported a significan­t drop in their partner’s attentiven­ess during the first 10 years of the study had a 42 per cent higher risk of death in the following 10 years.

This was linked to them experienci­ng a stronger reaction to stress.

 ??  ?? „ A caring and attentive partner can improve health and life expectancy.
„ A caring and attentive partner can improve health and life expectancy.

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