How Marriage May Literally Break Your Heart...or Keep it Healthy
Being married or in a similar intimate relationship generally reduces the risk of
coronary heart disease. However, the quality of these relationships matter, as strained
or disrupted relationships are associated with an increased risk. In a special issue
of the journal American Psychologist, psychology professor Timothy Smith and assistant professor Brian Baucom suggest an alternative, integrated approach to research that combines relationship
and individual factors to better understand their influence on the risk and course
of coronary heart disease. Their findings were discussed in a recent article by TIME.