Apparently, a man's good health could be the secret to a happy relationship. That's a bit unfair don't you think?

The findings were published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Researchers from the University of Chicago surveyed 953 older couples aged 69 to 90 who were either married or cohabitating for a long period of time - the average relationship length was 39 years.

What they found was when men were in good health and had upbeat personalities, the women reported fewer relationship conflicts - such as feeling annoyed or criticizing each other - than if the men were sick and withdrawn. Surprisingly, the men didn't report a difference in their relationship quality depending on the woman's personality or health.

So why the bizarre association? According to lead study author James Iveniuk, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of sociology at the University of Chicago, it might be the case then women tend to take on the role of caregivers within families. So when her partner is sick, the woman is more likely to feel the strain in the relationship. Men, on the other hand, may not be as likely to take on this caregiver role, and as a result, would be less likely to have it affect their bond.

Iveniuk explains that a man's disposition could play a bigger role in how the couple's fights are resolved or prevented. He adds that women tend to be the ones to bring up problems in a relationship, while previous research shows that men tend to withdraw from these discussions. But men with more positive personalities are more likely to communicate well with their partner and iron out relationship kinks.

The results of this research are definitely interesting but we're not completely sold on the fact that a guy's wellbeing is the one major factor that keeps a couple's relationship happy.