Feeling
insecure and frequently anxious about your romantic relationship can actually
harm your health, new research contends.
The
feelings may boost levels of a stress hormone and lower your immune system,
according to Ohio State researchers.
In
their study, married couples who were often anxious about their relationship —
wondering if their partner truly loved them, for example — had higher levels of
the stress hormone cortisol, and lower levels of T-cells, which are important in
the immune system to fight off infections, lead author Lisa Jaremka
said.
"These concerns about rejection and whether or not you are truly cared for do have physiological consequences that could, in the long-term, negatively affect health," said Jaremka, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research
"These concerns about rejection and whether or not you are truly cared for do have physiological consequences that could, in the long-term, negatively affect health," said Jaremka, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research
The
study was recently published online and will appear in an upcoming print issue
of Psychological Science.
Jaremka
said she was not describing the normal now-and-then concerns about a
relationship. "Everybody has these thoughts and feelings sometimes," she said.
"They are a natural part of being in a relationship."
Jaremka
studied 85 couples, all married for an average of more than 12 years. Most were
white. Their average age was 39. All the partners reported their general anxiety
levels and symptoms, and answered questions about their marriage and about their
sleep quality.
The
couples were generally healthy. Those with wives who were expecting a baby, or
who drank excess alcohol or caffeine or had health problems affecting the immune
system were all excluded.
The
couples provided saliva samples over three days and blood samples twice. From
these, the research team measured levels of cortisol and
T-cells.
Participants
with higher levels of anxiety about the marriage produced about 11 percent more
cortisol than those with lower anxiety levels. Spouses with higher anxiety
levels had between 11 percent and 22 percent lower levels of T cells than those
with less anxiety.
Jaremka
said the two findings are likely linked, because cortisol can hamper production
of T-cells.
The
study found a link or association between relationship anxiety and the body's
stress and immune response, but cannot prove cause and
effect.
While
the study did not track whether the highly anxious partners got sick more often,
the link is reasonable, Jaremka said, based on other research about the ill
effects of chronically high stress hormone levels.
"A
lot of the negative consequences of high cortisol are beyond the common flu,"
she said. Rather, she added, high level have been linked to heart problems,
sleep problems, depression and other conditions.
Another
expert who also studies attachment styles said the link between attachment
anxiety and stress is not new, but the link to immune system function is newer.
And it is "not that surprising," said Jeni Burnette, an assistant professor of
psychology at the University of Richmond, in Virginia.
Until
more research is in, Jaremka suggests people who are highly anxious in
relationships work on reducing their stress. Reduce stress by yoga or other
exercise or meditation, she suggested. That would lower cortisol, presumably,
and help their health.
Burnette
suggested that highly anxious partners might also try to be more forgiving, and
not keep replaying negative events such as arguments.
The
study was supported by an American Cancer Society grant.
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