A recent study published online on October 18, 2023, by the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction sheds light on the effectiveness of exercising with a spouse. The study involved 240 participants between the ages of 54 to 72, all of whom were married and living together with their spouses.
Researchers divided the participants into four groups: two groups of 30 couples each who would exercise together, and two groups of 60 individuals each who would exercise without their spouses. All participants were provided with fitness trackers, but only half received real-time data while the other half had their real-time feedback disabled.
Over a period of 12 weeks, researchers collected data on how consistently the participants met daily step goals of 5,000, 7,500, 10,000, and 15,000 steps as well as their daily average step count. The results showed that working out with a spouse did not result in as much physical activity as intended. In fact, participants who exercised with their spouses tended to be less active than those who worked out alone.
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