Couples influence each others happiness by Dr. Christina Villarreal

In my practice as a clinical psychologist in the Bay Area, I've seen many individuals who come in for therapy complaining of their spouses' negative influence upon their mood. In these instances, the person seeking treatment is looking for ways to improve their own mental health, though their spouse could clearly also benefit from treatment. Further, couples appear to influence each others level of happiness as well.

New research supports the notion that a person’s happiness is closely tied to the happiness of their spouse.


According to a study in the latest issue of the American Psychological Association’s journal Developmental Psychology, a person’s individual happiness appears to be linked to their spouse — in the case of long-term, married couples.

“What we saw over a long period of time is that if one spouse changed in terms of increasing happiness, the other spouse’s happiness would go up,” says Christiane Hoppmann, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and lead author of the study. “And if there was a dip in happiness, this dip would also affect the respective spouse."

Data for the happiness study was gleaned from the Seattle Longitudinal Study which, since 1956, has followed more than 6,000 individuals, tapping them for insights into their life satisfaction, personality, and health issues. Researchers at UBC, the University of Washington and Penn State analyzed data of 178 married couples and compared their happiness ratings.

Overall, results supported the notion that couples' happiness is reciprocal, that is, when one person in the couple is happy, there is a higher likelihood of their spouses' level of happiness matching theirs.

Hoppmann says this new research could help future studies better comprehend the varied influences upon what actually makes a person happy.

For professional referrals, contact Dr. Christina Villarreal at christina.villarreal@gmail.com