Thoughtfulness helps ease tiffs between couples

WASHINGTON - Couples who sort out their tiffs by weighing each word release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, says a study.

“Previous research has shown that couples who are hostile to each other show health impairments and are at greater risk of disease,” said Jennifer Graham, assistant professor of bio-behavioural health, Penn State University, who led the study.

“We wanted to know if couples who use thoughtfulness and reasoning in the midst of a fight incur potential health benefits,” Graham said

Individuals in a stressful situation - as in a troubled relationship - typically have elevated levels of chemicals known as cytokines.

These proteins are produced by cells in the immune system and help the body mount an immune response during infection.

However, abnormally high levels of these proteins are linked to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and some cancers, says a Penn State release.

“Typically, if you bring people to a lab and put them under stress, either by engaging them in a conflict or giving them a public speaking task, you can see an increase in cytokines such as Interleukin-6 (Il-6) and tumour necrosis (dead cancer cells) factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),” explained Graham.

For the study, 42 married couples made two separate overnight visits over two weeks. “We found that, controlling for depressed mood, individuals who showed more evidence of cognitive discussion during their fights showed smaller increases in both Il-6 and TNF-alpha cytokines over a 24-hour period,” said Graham.

These findings appeared in the current issue of Health Psychology.