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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
As a couple, arguing has consequences on the relationship obviously but also on our health. This is the conclusion of a study, which estimates that conflicts in the couple have a close link with the heart health of the partners. The point of view of Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo.
Did you think that as a couple, arguments only had consequences on the health of your relationship? Well no ! Arguing with your partner would also have consequences on our heart health.
What are the links between emotions, language and cardiovascular health?
The study included 49 married couples from the Chicago area, representing diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Each couple had to engage in two types of conversations, recorded on video: one involving conflict and the other a positive discussion.
These conversations were preceded by a period during which the couples relaxed and did not engage in any conversation, serving as the basis for the physiological measurements. During the exchanges, measurements, such as the time interval between heartbeats (an indicator of cardiovascular reactivity), were recorded continuously for both spouses.
Additionally, the conversations were transcribed and the language used was analyzed. The focus was on quantifying the frequency and diversity of negative and positive emotional words used by spouses.
Negative words break your heart
The study showed that the use of negative words, particularly those related to anger, was associated with higher cardiovascular reactivity. This effect was constant regardless of the socio-economic status of the couple and the type of conversation (conflictual or positive discussion) between the spouses.
Interestingly, the study found no significant association between the use of positive emotional words and cardiovascular reactivity.”Partners who used more negative emotion words (especially angry words) in their conversations with each other experienced greater increases in heart rate” explain the researchers to PsyPost.
“Our research adds to other work which shows that the experience of emotions is often accompanied by changes at different levels, particularly in physiology and language. This opens the door for future research aimed at better understanding the mechanisms by which language and emotions are connected“.
“Arguing is therefore a kind of stress test for the heart”
“Any stress increases the heart rate” explains Dr. Gérald Kierzek, interviewed about this study. “This also affects the delivery of catecholamines in our body (adrenaline and norepinephrine). Arguing is therefore a kind of stress test for the heart” adds the doctor, who reminds us that we must remain cautious about hasty conclusions that could be deduced from a single study. Other research has, on the contrary, demonstrated the benefits of living as a couple on our cardiovascular system.
Slide: 8 behaviors that make an argument worse