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NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Fighting with your spouse can actually be good for your health with people who bottle it all up found to die earlier, a new study shows.

Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and its Psychology Department released preliminary findings after 17 years of following 192 couples.

The couples fell into four categories: where both partners expressed anger when they felt unfairly attacked, where neither partner expressed their anger, and one category each for where the wife suppressed her feelings and where the husband did so.

"I would say that if you don't express your feelings to your partner and tell them what the problem is when you're unfairly attacked, then you're in trouble," said Ernest Harburg, lead author of the study, in an interview.

The study found that those who kept their anger in were twice as likely to die earlier than those who don't.

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Interesting article, but I imagine if you speak out and your spouse doesn't want to resolve the problem, then it could lead to the same end result.   

I guess this study didn't include the Winkler's.

If fighting with your spouse can make you live longer, how come my dad died at age 70? 

Yeah, but who wants more years in a house of pain?

I'm still debating whether this is good news or bad.

Quote from: janine on Sun Feb 03, 2008 - 21:37:14
Yeah, but who wants more years in a house of pain?

Pro 21:19
It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. 

proverbs 27:5

Quote27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

There has to be a line somewhere between "healthy" and "unhealthy" arguing.

Quote from: janine on Mon Feb 04, 2008 - 20:02:55
There has to be a line somewhere between "healthy" and "unhealthy" arguing.

As Christians we are not supposed to argue, but I do believe in us being assertive when we confront our spouses with a problem that we have. To me it's all in your tone and what you say and how you say it.

Mature and intelligent people TALK out their problems in a mature, quiet manner without trying to out-scream each other, and without throwing punches or breaking things.

I don't know about that, I personally do not have the energy for fights.

i don't agree with that. fighting with your spouse causes stress and stress causes health problems and health problems causes death.

Well the couple who used to live next door to me will live to be over 100 then becuase they were ALWAYS rowing very loudly.
My husband and I rarely row as we are both easy going and easy to please. I would hate it of we rowed a lot. Maybe it is partly your personalities.

How to be a good Christian and get into a fight:

Answer the following question for your spouse, honestly....

"Honey, does this [article of clothing] make me look fat?"

Lie (sin): "No honey, that looks great"

Truth (fight later): "No honey, your body fat makes you look fat, its not the clothing's fault"

Quote from: fanuvmxpx on Tue Jan 13, 2009 - 10:51:54
How to be a good Christian and get into a fight:

Answer the following question for your spouse, honestly....

"Honey, does this [article of clothing] make me look fat?"

Lie (sin): "No honey, that looks great"

Truth (fight later): "No honey, your body fat makes you look fat, its not the clothing's fault"

haha good one