marital-conflict tagged posts

Couples Study Ties Anger to Heart Problems, Stonewalling to Back Pain

How do you react to disagreements? It did not take the researchers long to guess which spouses would develop ailments down the road based on how they reacted to disagreements. Credit: © kmiragaya / Fotolia

How do you react to disagreements? It did not take the researchers long to guess which spouses would develop ailments down the road based on how they reacted to disagreements. Credit: © kmiragaya / Fotolia

Study suggests how you argue predicts health problems later in life. If you rage with frustration during a marital spat, watch your blood pressure. If you keep a stiff upper lip, watch your back. New research from the UC, Berkeley, and NW University, based on how couples behave during conflicts, suggests outbursts of anger predict cardiovascular problems. Conversely, shutting down emotionally or “stonewalling” during conflict raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles.

The study, published today in the journal Emotion, is based on 20 years of data...

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