Members of UNE's Brain-Behaviour Research Group tested what bearing successful relationships have on two of the body's most important systems. They also sought to learn what coping strategies give couples the best chance of keeping those systems - and their marriages - in harmony.
"We wanted to understand what it is about being happier at home that makes all the difference to overall health and wellbeing, and why constantly arguing with someone you love can make you stressed, anxious and even physically sick," said research leader Professor Chris Sharpley.
After recruiting 48 married or cohabiting volunteers, testing their saliva and blood samples, and asking them to report on how they managed stress in their relationships, the results came in.
"We looked closely at the ratio of cortisol (the hormone produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, or HPA-axis, during chronic stress) to CRP (a protein produced by the immune system), which is a strong physiological indicator of physical and mental health," Professor Sharpley said.
"We found evidence that a person's ability to get on with their partner is inversely related to the cortisol-CRP ratio."
"The better couples got on with one another, the better balanced the ratio was. However, the worse the couples got on, the more imbalance we detected."
Stress of the kind associated with a difficult marriage causes cortisol levels to rise, and prolonged high cortisol levels have been associated with depression, cancer and coronary heart disease. Elevated CRP levels can inhibit our body's ability to fight inflammation and infection and be a predictor of future cardiovascular disease and psychiatric disorders.
But in addition to the health implications, the research drew some very practical conclusions. By correlating the blood and saliva test results with those of a detailed questionnaire, the UNE team confirmed that, perhaps not surprisingly, the most powerful way for a couple to manage stress is to calmly discuss issues.
"Our work has shown that having a shouting match and raising your cortisol levels, instead of listening to your partner and calmly exchanging ideas, not only hurts your partner but can also physically and mentally hurt you," Professor Sharpley said.
"Resolving problems calmly has been shown to lead to greater marital satisfaction, help couples adjust to medical illness and reduce the effects of stress. When cortisol and CRP are in balance, cortisol can play a major role in moderating the harmful effects of uncontrolled inflammation. So a couple's success at minimising stress may influence their physiological state and future health as well as happiness."
Professor Sharpley, who worked as a marriage guidance counsellor and clinical psychologist before becoming a neuroscientist and founding UNE's Brain Behaviour Research Group, said the team's findings will have applications for anyone in a relationship.
"Our conclusions are most relevant to couples, but may also prove useful in our dealings with children and/or relatives and possibly even work colleagues who might occasionally irritate us," he said.
Follow the hyperlink for more information about the Brain-Behaviour Research Group.
