Letting off steam can be a healthy move

Husbands and wives who hide their differences and keep the anger within, leading to the build-up of tension, are more likely to die earlier than those couples who have the occasional flare-up,

Scientists who studied 192 couples over 17 years placed people in four categories.  The first was where both partners communicated anger and the second where the husband expressed anger while the wife suppressed it.   The third was where the wife showed anger and the fourth where both suppressed it.

The researchers found death during the period of the study was twice as likely in the suppression group than in the others.  The trend was evident even when factors such as age, smoking, weight, blood pressure, bronchial problems, and cardiovascular risk were taken into account.

In the 26 couples where both suppressed anger, there were 13 deaths.  But in the other three groups – a total of 166 couples – there were only 41 deaths combined.

Ernest Harburg, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, which did the study, said that “when couples get together, one of their main jobs is reconciliation about conflict.  Usually the couple is ignorant about the process of resolving conflict. The key matter is how to resolve conflict when it happens”.