Relationships
Monday, March 24, 2008
Happily Marrieds Have Lower Blood Pressure Than Social Singles
Happily married adults have lower blood pressure than singles with supportive social networks. Both men and women in happy marriages scored four points lower on 24-hour blood pressure than single adults. Having supportive friends did not translate into improved blood pressure for singles or unhappily marrieds.
Hypertension • Relationships • Stress • Women • (0) Comments • Permalink
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
World Values Survey
The World Values Survey provides in-depth information about the cohesiveness of different country-level communities. Denmark tops the table; 66% of Danes say that people can be trusted. The majority of European countries show a dramatic increase in the level of trust between 1981 and 1999, with the exception of the UK, where the percentage has fallen from 42.5% to 28.5% in the same time. The level of trust has also dropped in the US, from 39.2% in 1982 to 35.5% in 1999.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Patients with larger social networks may fare better after an operation
A new study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that patients with a large support network of family and friends report feeling less pain and anxiety prior to having a surgical procedure, which can have a substantially positive impact on their postoperative recovery. The findings suggest that it is important for clinicians to be aware of the close relationship between patients’ social networks and their impact on preoperative pain and anxiety, and how these relationships can affect patient recovery after major operations.
Anxiety • Pain • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Marry Me
Decades of data collection have shown that marriage--for all its challenges--is like a health-insurance policy. A 2006 paper that tracked mortality over an eight-year period found that people who never married were 58% likelier to die during that time than married folks were.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
For women, marital distress means less relief from stress
That’s the suggestion from a new UCLA study that tracked levels of cortisol, a key stress hormone, among 30 Los Angeles married couples involved in one of our age’s trickiest juggling acts — raising kids when both parents work full time.
Children • Hormones • Parenting • Psychology • Relationships • Women • (0) Comments • Permalink
Friday, December 28, 2007
Empathy: Could It Be What You’re Missing?
A Washington Psychotherapist Suggests How to Tell . . . and How to Treat the Symptoms
Brain • Emotions • Psychology • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink
Monday, December 10, 2007
Proof broken hearts can be fatal
Experts know psychological stress can cause physical changes in the body - stress hormones can disrupt body processes. One study found men were 21% more likely to die after the loss of their wife. Widows had a 17% increased risk of death. Dr Stroebe’s team said: “The patterns are quite consistent, enabling the conclusion that the mortality of bereavement is attributable in large part to a so-called broken heart, the psychological distress due to the loss.”
Monday, October 08, 2007
Chronic Arguing With Your Spouse May Raise Your Heart Disease Risk
Individuals whose close relationships have negative aspects, such as conflict and adverse exchanges, appear to have an increased risk of heart disease than those with more positive close relationships, according to a new report.
Cardiovascular Health • Relationships • Stress • (1) Comments • Permalink
Monday, September 24, 2007
Study finds that wives who don’t express themselves increase risk of illness
Married women who keep silent during marital disputes have a greater chance of dying from heart disease and other conditions than women who speak their minds, new research shows. But the same can’t be said of married men who keep disagreements to themselves. They had the same life expectancy during the 10-year study as men who spoke out.
Cardiovascular Health • Relationships • Stress • Women • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Chronic Stress Can Steal Years From Caregivers’ Lifetimes
The chronic stress that spouses and children develop while caring for Alzheimer’s disease patients may shorten the caregivers’ lives by as much as four to eight years, a new study suggests. The research also provides concrete evidence that the effects of chronic stress can be seen both at the genetic and molecular level in chronic caregivers’ bodies.
Aging • Depression • Genetics • Relationships • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Genes Get Lonely Too
A study out this week suggests that loneliness actually changes how the body functions at a molecular level. The research links feelings of social isolation to an alteration in the activity of specific genes—ones that put lonely people at higher risk for serious disease. And the study also points to the startling fact that it is the perception of loneliness that triggers the adverse health conditions, independent of how much social interaction an individual actually has.
Genetics • Immune System • Relationships • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Thursday, August 30, 2007
His Heart Whirs Anew
Peter Houghton is grateful for his artificial heart. After all, it has saved his life. He’s just a little wistful about emotions. He wishes he could feel them like he used to.
Cardiovascular Health • Emotions • Mood • Psychology • Relationships • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Hormone That Helps You Read Minds
We’ve long accepted that hormones can make you amorous, aggressive, or erratic. But lately neuroscience has been abuzz with evidence that the hormone oxytocin—which also acts as a neuromodulator—can enhance at least one cognitive power: the ability to understand the gist of what others are thinking.
Brain • Hormones • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Stifling words during fight deadly for women
Women who force themselves to stay quiet during marital arguments appear to have a higher risk of death, a new study shows. Depression and irritable bowel syndrome are also more common in these women.
Cardiovascular Health • Depression • Relationships • Women • (0) Comments • Permalink
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Loneliness is bad for your health
When psychologists looked at the lives of the middle-aged and old people in their study, they found that although the lonely ones reported the same number of stressful life events, they identified more sources of chronic stress and recalled more childhood adversity. Moreover, they differed in how they perceived their life experiences. Even when faced with similar challenges, the lonelier people appeared more helpless and threatened. And ironically, they were less apt to actively seek help when they are stressed out.
Aging • Hormones • Relationships • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink