Ashley May

USA TODAY

Date nights including the occasional wine or beer might not be a bad idea, according to a study published in The Journals of Gerontology.

The study looked at drinking behaviors of 2,767 older married couples, who supplied data twice over four years. Participants were 50 or older. Researchers found couples who drank had "decreased negative marital quality over time."

In other words, couples who reported drinking even one drink a year were more likely to say their partner doesn't let them down, get on their nerves or criticize them. This could be interpreted as happiness, but it's difficult to prove.

Lead author Kira S. Birditt said couples who drink "are less irritated — not necessarily happy."

Men who identified as drinkers in the study had an average of 6 drinks per week and women had 3 drinks per week.

On the flip side, in situations where wives drank and men didn't, wives reported increased negative martial quality over time.

"The effect of alcohol use depends on not only on their own alcohol use but their use of their partners," Birditt said. "It’s a couple phenomenon."