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Negativity is contagious — but so is optimism.
By Merethe Najjar — Last updated on Oct 26, 2023
Ever found yourself around negative people, or a perpetually negative, unmotivated partner and wondered why you’re always having such a crummy time, or perhaps not feeling that great? Do you often wonder why you’re noticing every ache and pain, and becoming focused on bad things in your own life?
Perhaps you start feeling bad — and not just in an emotional or mental sense. But there’s actually a notable reason for that, according to science.
Dating a person with this trait makes you healthier, according to research
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Health Psychology, the company you keep could actually have an effect on your physical health.
That means that your negative friend or partner could actually have a physical bad effect on you — not just frying your emotions... but yes, they’re doing that, too.
So what could turn this around for you? Dating happy people actually has positive health benefits for you beyond just smiling more.
The study consisted of 1,981 couples and confirmed that when your partner or spouse is happy and more invigorated by their own lives, you get a nice heaping dose of beneficial joy cast off, from their actions and their words.
In other words, it might be time to ditch that negative guy always moping around your apartment and get with someone interested in being happy.
William Chopik, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University and the lead investigator on the study.
According to his findings, dating happy people actually decreases your impulses toward self-destructive behaviors like drinking or drugs, or just possibly being really angry and stressed all the time because your partner is never happy and can’t be satiated with anything that happens in their lives.
Why, exactly? Well, as Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” It’s a bit more complicated than that, but the findings are essentially the same.
Happy people will encourage you to be healthy, exercise, eat better, and even get on a better sleeping schedule — all things that are beneficial for your body and mind. They’ll also be concerned about what’s going on in your life, and not just about how depressed and moody they’re feeling.
They will notice when you’re not feeling good, and take appropriate action to help you, instead of staring at a mirror and practicing their best brooding face.
So if you notice that your own health and happiness are slipping, it might be time to study your relationship and see if your partner is too busy berating everything in the world around him to pay attention to the fact that you’re suffering.
And, according to science, it might just behoove you to ditch him and his moods, and move on to someone happier.
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Merethe Najjar is a professional writer, editor, and award-winning fiction author. Her articles have been featured in The Aviator Magazine, Infinite Press, Yahoo, BRIDES, and more.