abstract: A happy marriage can help fight flu this winter, new research has claimed. A study conducted by the University of Birmingham found that people over 65 with happy marriages have a much higher level of antibodies in their blood than those in unhappy marriages and can better ward off infection. The study looked at whether stressful events had an effect on the immune response of older people after they had been given a flu vaccination. It concluded that an older person's immune response to the jab improves if he or she has a happy marriage as couples look after each other.