If your heart's not in it, you may
suffer from heart problems. At least that's what the findings of a new study
suggest. According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, people who
are unhappy in their married life are at a higher risk of cardiovascular
diseases.
"Growing evidence suggests that the quality and patterns of one's
social relationships may be linked with a variety of health outcomes, including
heart disease," said study author Thomas Kamarck in a press
statement. "The contribution of this study is in showing that
these sorts of links may be observed even during the earliest stages of plaque
development [in the carotid artery] and that these observations may be rooted
not just in the way that we evaluate our relationships in general but in the
quality of specific social interactions with our partners as they unfold during
our daily lives."
The study was conducted on 281 healthy, employed, middle-aged adults
who were married or living with a partner. The researchers monitored their
interactions hourly for four days and had the participants' partners rate these
interactions as positive or negative. At the end of the study, researchers
found that those with marital interactions that were rated negative may have an
8.5 percent greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke than those with
a surfeit of good feelings.
"These findings may have wider implications. It's another bit of
support for the thought that marital or serious romantic relationships play a
significant role in overall health. Biological, psychological, and social
processes all interact to determine physical health," Kamarck said.
Researchers also measured the participants' carotid artery thickness
and found that those with negative interactions had thicker arteries, which
further increased the risk of heart problems.
"What it does show," the author said, "is that health
care providers should look at relationships as a point of assessment. They are
likely to promote health or place health at risk."
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