Marriage makes you less stressed study claims

February 14, 2017

Married people have lower stress hormone levels than their single peers
This may be due to less of a social stigma as well as better access to healthcare
The hormone cortisol regulates the body’s equilibrium in response to stress
Increased levels can raise the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease

Mary Kekatos For Dailymail.com

Published:
16:40 EST, 13 February 2017

|
Updated:
17:24 EST, 13 February 2017

e-mail

View
comments

Your husband or wife may not be stressing you out as much as you think.

A new study claims married people have overall lower levels of cortisol – often called the ‘stress hormone’.

It regulates many changes in the body including blood sugar levels, immune responses and inflammation.

Past research has suggested that married people are healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed.

And this study is the first to provide biological evidence explaining just how marriage impacts health.

Married people have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, says a new study. High levels of cortisol can raise the risk of heart disease and disrupt the ability to control inflammation

The study, conducted Carnegie Mellon University, looked at saliva samples collected from over 500 healthy adults between ages 21 and 55 over a three-day period. Multiple samples were taken daily and tested for cortisol levels.

Researchers found that the married participants had lower cortisol levels than the never married or previously married people across the three-day period.

Lead author Brian Chin a PhD student in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Department of Psychology, said that the difference in cortisol levels between married people and singles dropped by one percent each day.

‘Although that doesn’t seem like a lot focusing on just one day, it really adds up over time,’ he told Daily Mail Online.

Frugal groom allows bride-to-be to splash out on her dream…

Want to spice things up between the sheets? The foods you…

The team also compared each person’s daily cortisol rhythm. Typically, cortisol levels peak when a person wakes up and decline during the day.

Those who were married showed a faster decline, a pattern that has been associated with a lowered risk of heart disease, and longer survival among cancer patients.

Increased cortisol levels are linked to prolonged stress and can disrupt the body’s ability to control inflammation.

Previous studies have suggested that marriage may be associated with lower cortisol levels because most married people are relatively satisfied with their marriages.

In 2014, a University of Chicago study found that almost 60 percent of married people reported being very happy in their relationship.

However, a recent meta-analysis found no connection between marital quality and the levels of cortisol.

Previously married individuals often experience increased social isolation, a loss of social support, and a stigma related to their separation.

Meanwhile, individuals who are never married also experience a stigma and discrimination based on their lack of marital status.

These are both situations which can cause a rise in stress levels.

The researchers suggested that the lower levels of cortisol in married people could also be related to better access to healthcare due to the availability of insurance and more economic support.

‘Married people have multiple sources of income, which helps in receiving better healthcare,’ Chin said.

‘Additionally, having someone around encourages you to practice better healthcare routines: not smoking, not drinking, eating better and sleeping well.’

He added that future research will look at psychological factors to see if they play a role as to why stress levels drop lower in married people as opposed to their single peers.

Past studies have praised marriage as preventing various ailments. A January 2016 study found that marriage can prevent you from fracturing a hip in your old age.

Elderly men were 50 percent less likely to fracture a hip if they were married, while elderly married women cut their risk by 30 percent.

Experts suggested a possible reason was that seniors who live with their partner are less likely to be malnourished or depressed, making them less frail.