Couples who talk about their mental health more likely to have happy relationship
Four out of five people in relationships feel comfortable speaking about mental health with their partner
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Your support makes all the difference.Couples who speak openly with one another about their mental health issues are more likely to have a healthy and happy relationship, a survey has found.
Mental health issues affect a large portion of the world's population, with two out of every three people likely to experience a mental health problem at some point during their lifetime.
Talking to a friend, family member or colleague about the mental health issues that they're facing can prove beneficial for their wellbeing, the Mental Health Foundation states.
The same goes for people in relationships, as outlined in eharmony's second "Happiness Index" report, which has been released for the second consecutive year.
More than 2,000 Americans over the age of 21 were interviewed for the report, which was commissioned by eharmony and conducted by market research company Harris Interactive.
The group of participants consisted of heterosexual and LGBT+ individuals, all of whom were either married, living with a partner or in a long-term relationship.
According to the survey's findings, more than four in 10 couples are affected by mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Of the people interviewed, four out of five felt comfortable speaking about mental health problems with their partner. This reportedly had a positive impact on more than half of their relationships.
On the other hand, people who found it difficult talking about mental health with their partners were more likely to admit being unhappy in their relationships.
Among the individuals classed as being in Generation Z (typically born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s), seven out of 10 reported a positive affiliation between talking about mental health with their partner and having a happy relationship.
“What surprised us about the mental health data was how open Gen Z was about speaking about it,” Jeannie Assimos, chief of advice at eharmony, said.
“The stigma around this generation is that they are more superficial and care more about looks, but the data shows that they are the most progressive regarding their mental health and the most communicative with their partners, which in turn, leads to happier relationships.”
Anxiety was found to be the most common mental health issue affecting adults in relationships.
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