Happy Relationship, Healthy Body

A happy marriage is literally good for your heart, research suggests.

Scientists have found that unhappily married people suffer more physical signs of stress, such as higher blood pressure, than those who are in good relationships.

Stress is a known trigger for heart attacks, and those who are constantly stressed are also more likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyles.

Past studies have tended to look at the impact of stress at work. The latest research has concentrated on home lives and relationships.

The study looked at 105 men and women aged between 52 and 62 who were married or in long-term relationships.

The researchers measured blood pressure and used saliva tests to show levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. They also asked the participants how stressed they felt at regular points over the course of a day.

The participants also filled in questionnaires about their relationships, covering issues such as whether their partner was critical of them and listened to them. Feelings of irritability and distress were also gauged.

The study, published in the journal Annals of Behavioural Medicine, by Julie Wheldon, science correspondent, found clear signs that those in unhappy marriages were more stressed throughout the day than those in good relationships.

The unhappy people had higher levels of cortisol and worse blood pressure than those in good marriages. They also reported feeling stressed many more times.

At midday, less than 10 percent of those in good marriages felt stressed, compared to more than 20 percent in the unhappy relationship group. Similar patterns were evident in the afternoon and evening.

The research was carried out by Rosalind Barnett of Brandeis University in the United States and Professor Andrew Steptoe of University College in London. Dr Barnett said it was particularly interesting that the results applied equally to men and women.

She said, "It is generally assumed that marriage and relationships have a greater impact on women's psychological well-being than on men.

"However, today many women work [in addition to] being married. When women were only married, their relationship may have had a greater impact on their health."

Source: Daily Mail (London). Powered by Yellowbrix.