Is Drinking Wine One Secret To A Happy Marriage?

The Philadelphia Inquirer

It appears wine itself might be worthy of a toast.

Wine, it turns out, could be one ingredient for a happy marriage, according to a recent report in The Journals of Gerontology.

Researchers found that couples who drink wine together say they are happier over time. Wives reported they were happier when their husbands drank wine and less happy when they didn’t.

The study surveyed 4,864 participants. As a caveat, the researchers say they did not focus on the amount of alcohol consumed by survey participants. Rather, they focused on the importance of whether both husband and wife drank.

The researchers focused on heterosexual couples in the US and measured responses by 2,767 married couples as part of a long-term health survey. Marriages had already lasted for 33 years on average, with approximately two-thirds in their first marriage, Decanter.com reported.

“We’re not suggesting that people should drink more or change the way they drink,” study author Dr. Kira Birditt, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, told Reuters Health.

“We’re not sure why this is happening,” said Birditt, who studies relationships across adulthood. Drinking may not be the only reason they’re getting along, she said.

This isn’t the first time research has found wine to have beneficial properties.

Food and Wine took a look at a number of studies that suggest wine’s key ingredient, resveratrol, is beneficial. Those studies indicated resveratrol promotes longevity, reduces risks of heart attacks, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

There was one study that, sadly, didn’t pan out according to Snopes.com: Drinking wine before bed will not make you skinny.

Good news for those that don’t want to imbibe but still want the health benefits: Resveratrol may soon be available in pill form.