Bad Relationships Cause Poor Wound Healing? Yikes!

I just devoured the following article from The New York Times: "Is Marriage Good for Your Health?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18marriage-t.html

This article summarized research by (ironically) a husband and wife research team Ronald Glaser and Jan Kiecolt-Glaser at Ohio State University.  Their research examines the impact that marriage has on the immune system, heart disease, and wound healing.

This is powerful stuff. 

For years, we have believed that being single, never married leads to poor health in the long run.  Certainly, compared to married couples, prior research has proven this time and again.  However, newer research conducted by the Glasers suggests that couples in unhappy marriages have poorer health and weakened immune systems compared to couples who are happily married.

One of my favorite studies quoted in this article actually subjected the married research subjects to a physical wound, had them fight, and then quantified the time to physical wound healing.  I won't spoil the results, but they are immensely compelling.  Heck, as a surgeon, maybe this is something we should be looking at in our patients!

I found it especially interesting that how couples fight has the biggest impact on overall health.  In particular, fights that are conducted in a hostile, cold manner cause a bigger decline in immune function than fights that are conducted with at least some sign of affection (and perhaps the intention of making a relationship stronger through the disagreement).  Not too surprising, fights about control had a bigger health impact on men than on women.

What I took away from this article...the positive health effects of a happy marriage are real, but be cautious about who you marry.  The health impacts may be enormous.

And divorce?  Not necessarily a bad idea for those in crappy marriages, but the Glasers' research suggests that divorce may have irrecoverable health detriments that even a second marriage can't fix.  Yikes.  Again, be careful who you marry.

I am looking forward to reading the Glasers' upcoming book about the topic: For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage.

When I look back on my past relationships, in particular, most recently with make-up/break-up, I feel relieved that I didn't enter into a commitment.  I realize that marriage is never smooth sailing and that there will be fights and conflicts that require compromise.  I think it's key to find someone who wants the best for the relationship, has affection, and won't fight dirty.