A walk after dinner is simple, free and, for many couples, a chance to talk. New research from Brigham Young University suggests that couples who exercise together report healthier relationships. It cannot show that walking together makes a relationship better, and it is not a substitute for help with serious problems.
Jeremy Yorgason, Ashlyn Hiatt Mildenhall and Matthew Nunez published the work in the journal Family Relations in 2026. The analysis used survey data from nearly 1,700 young married couples in the Couple Relationships and Transition Experiences study, known as CREATE, a Brigham Young University project that has followed newly married couples across the United States for more than a decade. The university describes the sample as nationally representative.
The researchers compared exercise done individually with physical activity done together as a couple. They looked at three outcomes: communication, conflict resolution and marital conflict. The news release does not describe the statistical methods, the timing of the surveys, or exactly how exercise and relationship quality were measured.
Couples who exercised together reported better communication, stronger conflict resolution and lower marital conflict than couples who did not. Both solo and shared exercise were linked with healthier marriages, but shared exercise showed consistently stronger associations.
About 60 per cent of husbands and wives said they exercised, but only about a third did so together. Walking was the most commonly reported activity done as a pair. The effect on communication was the largest reported. Yorgason described the effect on conflict resolution as small but significant, and the impact as not necessarily large but very consistent. Couples who exercised together also reported listening better and feeling more heard and supported by their spouse.
The release does not give effect sizes, confidence intervals or p-values, so it is not possible to say how big the differences were beyond those descriptions.
It also helps to be realistic about size. The researchers describe the associations as small but consistent, which suggests that walking together is one possible ingredient among many, such as listening, shared time, fairness at home and mutual respect. A couple that walks together every day can still have real difficulties, and a couple that never exercises together can still have a warm, strong relationship.
This was a survey, not an experiment. Nobody was randomly assigned to walk with their partner, so the findings are associations and not proof that exercising together causes better relationships. Couples who already communicate well may simply find it easier to arrange time together, or to enjoy a walk side by side. Other differences, such as work hours, health or income, could also play a part.
The researchers themselves say shared exercise is not a cure for relationship problems, and the article should not be read as suggesting it can fix serious difficulties. If your relationship involves fear, control or harm, this does not apply to you. Support is available in Australia by calling 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.
The sample was young married couples in the United States, so the results may not apply to older couples, de facto or same-sex couples, people not in a partnership, or people in other countries. Couples with children may need to plan deliberately to find time together. Many people also cannot walk, or cannot walk far, because of disability, pain, illness or pregnancy. The idea of moving together can be adapted, for example by rolling or wheeling together, doing gentle seated movement, or simply spending time outdoors side by side, but this study did not test those alternatives.
This is general information, not health or relationship advice. People with a medical condition should check with their GP or an appropriately qualified practitioner about what activity suits them.
Source: Could a walk strengthen your marriage? BYU researchers say yes (BYU news release on a Family Relations paper by Yorgason, Hiatt Mildenhall and Nunez; paper title not stated) DOI: 10.1111/fare.70260
Illustration of sharing an everyday walk with a partner. AI-generated editorial illustration. This article summarises published research in our own words and is general information, not personal health advice.
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