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The relationships you have with your other half have a real impact on your health. More than just arguments, conflicts between spouses are a source of stress, which impacts our body, as demonstrated by American researchers in a study.
When we argue with our spouse, we wouldn’t imagine that it impacts our overall health, would we? Well if. American scientists have studied the impact of communication in the couple, especially during arguments and the consequences for the health of each partner.
A study on blood markers
The scientists recruited 42 heterosexual couples who had been married for an average of 12 years. Married couples completed two 24-hour visits during which they had blood drawn to measure their baseline levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker of inflammation and other markers blood. The researchers used a device to create a small blister on each person’s forearm. Ampulla healing was monitored for twelve days to assess the functioning of the immune system.
An assessment of their relationships
In parallel, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their typical communication patterns. In addition, the couples were asked to have two separate discussions: one regarding social support and the other being an attempt to resolve a known problem within the marriage.
The researchers coded any negative or positive behavior during these discussions: avoidance, withdrawal from the discussion, for example, or on the contrary, calm discussion and support during the exchange. The couples also had to evaluate their exchanges themselves.
A link between communication and healing
Results: the authors of this work note that couples with a negative communication model had a higher baseline level of IL-6, but also slower healing of their wound, greater resentment, lower positive emotion and lower discussion ratings, in contrast to couples reporting more mutually constructive models.
“These findings help explain how distressed marriages weigh on the health of spouses“ write the authors who also recall that it is preferable, during a disagreement, to discuss in a positive and non-confrontational way because a stressful marriage can also have negative effects on health.