  Tidal interaction between an exoplanet and its host star is a possible
pathway to transfer angular momentum between the planetary orbit and the
stellar spin. In cases where the planetary orbital period is shorter than the
stellar rotation period, this may lead to angular momentum being transferred
into the star's rotation, possibly counteracting the intrinsic stellar
spin-down induced by magnetic braking. Observationally, detecting altered
rotational states of single, cool field stars is challenging, as precise ages
for such stars are rarely available. Here we present an empirical investigation
of the rotation and magnetic activity of a sample of planet-hosting stars that
are accompanied by wide stellar companions. Without needing knowledge about the
absolute ages of the stars, we test for relative differences in activity and
rotation of the planet hosts and their co-eval companions, using X-ray
observations to measure the stellar activity levels. Employing three different
tidal interaction models, we find that host stars with planets that are
expected to tidally interact display elevated activity levels compared to their
companion stars. We also find that those activity levels agree with the
observed rotational periods for the host stars along the usual
rotation-activity relationships, implying that the effect is indeed caused by a
tidal interaction and not a purely magnetic interaction which would be expected
to affect the stellar activity, but not necessarily the rotation. We conclude
that massive, close-in planets have an impact on the stellar rotational
evolution, while the smaller, more distant planets do not have a significant
influence.
