New research has found that married couples who exercise together communicate better. Researchers from Brigham Young University in the USA looked at the exercise habits and relationships of 1,693 young married couples. In particular, the research team focused on conflict resolution, the ability to listen to a partner, and the seriousness and frequency of marital issues. Study co-author Professor Jeremy Yorgason suggested that exercising together helped couples sort out problems "peacefully". He added that the effect was small but significant. He said couples reported better communication and fewer problems when they exercised together.

The researchers compared couples exercising separately with couples exercising together. Both individual and shared exercise were associated with healthier marriages. However, couples who exercised together were found to be more successful at resolving marital problems. Professor Yorgason said: "About 60 per cent of husbands and wives in the sample said they exercised, but only about a third exercised together. That means about half the people who exercise are not exercising with their spouse." He added that while the impact was not necessarily large, it was very consistent across couples. The difference gave him the confidence to say that it was affecting relationships "in some meaningful way".