Happy Marriage Helps Heal
A happy marriage apparently is good medicine, but hostile spouses may be harmful to one another’s health. Couples in conflict-ridden marriages take longer than the happily married to heal from all kinds of wounds, from minor scrapes or athletic injuries [...]
A happy marriage apparently is good medicine, but hostile spouses may be harmful to one another’s health.
Couples in conflict-ridden marriages take longer than the happily married to heal from all kinds of wounds, from minor scrapes or athletic injuries to major surgery, suggests a study out over the weekend.
And the health toll taken by a stressful job seems to be eased when the worker has a pleasurable home life.
This new research, reported at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting here, adds to growing evidence that marriage has an impact on health.
In the wound healing study, 42 couples agreed to let researchers use a suction device to create several minor blister wounds on their skin in two sessions about two months apart. The first time, couples were told to discuss a neutral topic; the next time they were given half an hour to resolve an issue or two on which they disagreed. Their discussions were monitored.
Researchers also checked participants’ wounds over the next few weeks and their production of three proteins created in wound healing.
Overall, couples took longer to heal when asked to thrash out points of conflict than neutral issues. Hostile couples — peppering both discussions with criticism, sarcasm and put-downs — healed the slowest. It took them 40% longer, or two more days, to heal, and they also produced less of the proteins linked to healing.
On the upside, good marriages may buffer couples against the stress of demanding jobs in which the worker has little control. In a study with 201 married adults, those in high-strain jobs had higher blood pressure at the start, says University of Toronto psychiatrist Brian Baker.
Source: USA Today
Today’s marriages and relationships have become more stranded then ever. It is hard to feel supportive and happy when you or your partner may be effected by bad jobs, financial strains, and even children. I have seen couples who fit both sides of this research; happily married and un-happily married. The married couple who is unhappy definitely show it. They are more negative and have much more health problems then the happy couple.
Remember, relationships are about learning. Without downs it is hard to work on the ups. It is always important to understand that if things don’t get better and you feel increasing depressed that you step back and look at what it is that you want. Remember happiness is key!
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I am a Holistic Life Coach, health coach and meditation teacher. My goal is to help people find inner peace and contentment during times of stress and worry. I have a passion for assisting those with anxiety disorders, stress, health and nutrition. I believe we are made of mind, body, soul, and environment. It is of much importance to keep good health in each one of these areas.