By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Victor Harris, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
Have you ever heard that being married is good for your physical health? While it certainly wouldn’t be accurate to claim that single people are typically unhealthy, it does seem to be the case that marriage is tied to better health. This could be because married people are more likely to visit the doctor. They also may be likely to support each other in healthier habits, such as eating well, not smoking, or exercising. The social and emotional benefits of companionship could play a role, too.
Is Marriage Always a Health-Enhancer?
But is this uniformly true for all marriages—even terrible ones? Common sense might suggest that this wouldn’t be so. After all, living with someone who undermines or criticizes you, or having frequent stressful conflicts, doesn’t seem like it would be great for our health.
In fact, it’s likely not, as a recent research on older couples suggests. In this study of about 1,200 men and women in their 50s through their 80s, people were asked to rate their marital quality (for instance, how close they felt to their spouses and how often their spouses got on their nerves) and to provide information and complete lab testing regarding their cardiovascular health. Researchers followed up with the men and women again about 5 years later.
For Older Women, Poor Marriages Harm Heart Health
Women who reported poor-quality marriages showed deterioration in their cardiovascular health over the years of the study. Being in an unhappy partnership increased the chance that an older woman would experience high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and even a serious event like a heart attack or stroke. This association was stronger the older the women were, perhaps because the effects of being in a bad marriage add up over time.
However, this link between marital quality and heart health wasn’t as strong for men. While the researchers aren’t entirely positive why this is, they suggest that men may be less likely to “internalize” negative interactions than women.
This is far from the only study suggesting that a strife-filled or unhappy marriage can torpedo our physical well-being. So although marital unions may be generally good for us in the abstract, that truth doesn’t necessarily hold if things are less than rosy in your particular marriage.
Experiencing Marital Stress? Seek Help
If tension, stress, and poor communication characterize your own marriage, you may want to consider seeking marriage counseling. Visit TherapistLocator, a service of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy to find a counselor near you. The resources in Further Reading may also help.
(Photo credit: 30s couple fight by Adair733. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)
Further Reading
9 Important Communication Skills for Every Relationship–from UF-IFAS EDIS
10 Rules for Constructive Conflict–from UF-IFAS EDIS
Three Stages of Marriage–from UF-IFAS EDIS
References:
Liu, H., & Waite, L. (2014). Bad Marriage, Broken Heart? Age and Gender Differences in the Link between Marital Quality and Cardiovascular Risks among Older Adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 55(4), 403-423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022146514556893
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