Study: Quarrelsome Couples Are Healthier

[Hache Man]

Quarrelsome couples are healthier - study

A good fight with your spouse could be good for the health, a new study has found.

Couples who suppress their anger have a mortality rate twice as high as those in which at least one partner stands up for themselves, according to the study, which tracked 192 US couples for 17 years.

"When couples get together, one of their main jobs is reconciliation about conflict," said lead author Ernest Harburg, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan.

"The key matter is, when the conflict happens, how do you resolve it?" he said.

Suppressing anger increases stress-related illnesses

"When you don't, if you bury your anger and you brood on it and you resent the other person or the attacker, and you don't try to resolve the problem, then you're in trouble."

Previous studies have shown that suppressing anger increases stress-related illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure.

This study looks at how suppressed anger and the resulting build-up of resentment in a marriage affects overall mortality rates.

It adjusted for age, smoking, weight, blood pressure, bronchial problems, breathing and cardiovascular risk.

The paper will appear in the January edition of the Journal Of Family Communication. - Sapa-AFP

[Blondie]

In this case I should be friggin immortal by now