Arguments between husbands and wives not only lead to great
emotional distress, they may also weaken the immune system.
A team of Ohio State University researchers reports that couples in
troubled relationships may be particularly susceptible to physical and
mental illness.
"We're not saying that people shouldn't disagree--it's the quality
of the disagreement that seems to cause problems," psychologist Janice
Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., reported to the American Psychological
Association. Consequently, learning to fight fairly may save both your
marriage and your health.
After screening thousands of newlyweds, Kiecolt-Glaser, virologist
Ronald Glaser, Ph.D., and endocrinologist William Malarkey, M.D., picked
90 couples with "absolutely pristine" records of mental and physical
health. Then during a 30-minute discussion session, the team analyzed
blood samples from the pairs as they tried to resolve marital problems
about money, leisure time, or in-laws.
The more couples exhibited negative fighting behavior--including
sarcasm, disapproval, nastiness, and dismissal--the lower their levels of
specific immunologic activists, such as the natural killer cells that
ward off viruses and tumors. Hostile spouses also had higher levels of
antibodies to the normally latent Epstein-Barr virus--a clear sign that
their immune systems may be less competent in controlling the
virus.
What's not as clear is exactly how an immune system weakened by
marital strife causes individuals to become sick. But Kiecolt-Glaser has
no doubt that it does--or that its effects may be even more virulent for
couples squabbling at home, where fights tend to be nastier and longer
lasting than those argued in the safe confines of the lab. To say nothing
about those couples no longer in the throes of newlywed bliss.
Tags:
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endocrinologist,
health,
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immune system,
immune systems,
janice kiecolt glaser,
malarkey,
marital problems,
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nastiness,
natural killer cells,
ohio state university,
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troubled relationships
