Tobacco: quitting smoking as a couple triples the chances of success

Good resolutions are easier to keep as a couple. According to a study, people who live in a union are more likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle if they decide to do so together. Weight loss, smoking cessation, balanced diet … Together, we get there better.

Mimetic behaviors and mutual support
To reach this conclusion, researchers at University College London reviewed the lifestyle habits of 3,722 married or cohabiting couples aged 50 or over. And depending on the results, published in the American journal JAMA Internal Medecine, it would be easier to get rid of his nasty habits in unison with his spouse.

For example, 50% of female tobacco users successfully quit when their partner also stopped smoking. On the other hand, only 17% of women successfully quit smoking in the presence of a non-smoker man, and 8% in the presence of a smoker who has not decided to quit. Men would be just as sensitive to the presence of their partner for the adoption of a healthier lifestyle. And these results hold true for all types of good resolutions.

However, single people should not despair. Because the mechanism that is at work in the success of couples is in reality the same as in all social relationships. “Having the support of another person helps people form good habits,” writes Julie Sharp of the British Cancer Research Institute. If you need to lose weight and have a coworker or friend who needs to do the same, you can encourage yourself by joining in for a jog, for example. It will be more efficient ”.

When love protects the heart
The life of a couple and its health benefits are of great interest to researchers. Thus, a recent study published in the scientific journal Psychosomatic Medicine, showed that a happy and peaceful union could considerably reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases. On the contrary, conflicting households, single people and widowers increase this risk by 8%.