A new study finds that sharing good news with loved ones have beneficial effects on health: it lowers stress and increases happiness in both parties. The study adds that the mood-boosting effects of sharing happy news work even in tough times. Presented this week at the 2017 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention, the study is funded by the US Department of Defense and explored the way military spouses cope with stress through positive communication.
The researchers find that service member couples in Oregon who shared good news with each other while one or both were deployed had lower stress level and better overall well-being. Additionally, the study confirms that supportive and responsive partners provide a buffer to loneliness and sleep deficits among the couples. Good sleep patterns, communication, and emotional support are identified in the study as keys to better overall health and to being successful at work, the Mother Board  says.
Sharing good news may seem impossible given our intense Facebook conversations and angry Twitter feeds, but it has been found that during tough times, good news can help you sleep better, feel less lonely and have better response to intimacy. All of these lead to a more fulfilled and happy life, researchers say. However, the positive effects don't entirely depend on the good news.
Sscientists say that it's also important for the person hearing the good news to respond positively for both parties to feel good."When you share something good, and the recipient of information is actively happy for you, it heightens the positive experience for both parties," said Sarah Arpin, a social psychologist involved in the study. So if the person hearing the news rains on your parade, the effect might be the opposite, the EurekAlert  says.
Since most of our everyday lives involve stress in the office, difficulty at home, and other political chaos, the idea of the study can be positively applied. Now we know that it's not only food or exercise  that boost happiness, social interaction, especially sharing good news, also impacts overall health.