Advantages of a Healthy Relationship

Healthy relationship can be a source of support, strength, comfort and love. One with a spouse or partner has a number of advantages that range from financial to emotional and physical. Those with friends, coworkers and extended family members can provide a social structure that keeps you involved, engaged and active through all life situations.

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Emotional Well-being

Doctors at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) report that healthy relationships are an integral part of emotional well-being. Because they have good emotional health, people in relationships feel good about themselves, are empathetic toward others and have learned how to cope with stress in positive ways that do not harm their physical health and their relationships. Healthy relationships can help people avoid depression. Relationships with other healthy people can help develop resilience, which is a major factor in avoiding stress. A strong social support system is vital to emotional well-being.

Physical Well-being

The mind influences the body, which responds to thoughts, report AAFP doctors. Healthy relationships promote healthy bodies. Your body responds to negative feelings by letting you know when something is wrong. Unhealthy relationships can trigger many of the negative and stressful feelings that can lead to disease and injury. Physical signs that a relationship is out of sync and causing you distress include back pain, headaches, chest pain and constipation. Other physical side effects of being in an unhealthy relationship include high blood pressure, weight loss or weight gain, heart palpitation, sweating and sexual problems. Your body's immune system is weakened when relationships cause stress and negative emotions.

Mental Well-being

Supportive friends, family and co-workers can have a positive effect on mental well-being, report Mayo Clinic doctors. When problems arise, healthy relationships can provide everything from a shoulder to cry on to encouraging advice and opportunities to relieve stress through fun activities and socializing. A social network built on healthy relationships is not a formal group, but one typically built on common interests. Healthy social relationships provide you with a sense of belonging. Healthy relationships help prevent loneliness. The security of healthy relationships can work on many levels, from allowing others to warn you of impending disaster to being there when you fall.

Financial Well-being

Counselors at the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center report that healthy marriages have a positive effect on children and the financial well-being of the family. Research by the group shows that two-parent families are healthier for children and for the financial welfare of the family. Healthy marriages allow each partner to do the work necessary to support the family. Good communications skills involved in a healthy marriage allow partners to save for their current and future needs. Two-income families can provide additional benefits to the family. The Resource Center reports that healthy married households are less likely to experience poverty and divorce. Married couples tend to have higher median incomes than single heads of households.