The Toronto Star recently reported that arguing with loved ones may be contributing to a higher risk of stress-related health issues, and even death.
“Middle-aged adults who frequently fought with their husband or wife were more than twice as likely to die at a relatively young age compared to people who rarely fought, according to a study published online this week in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Frequent fights with friends were even more hazardous ? people who fell into this category were 2.6 times more likely to die prematurely than people who got along with their pals. Worst of all were persistent fights with neighbours, the researchers found. These types of argumentative people were more than three times more likely to die prematurely than the go-with-the-flow types.”
Moral of the story? Most of us need better ways to regain and retain a calm centre in the middle of confrontation, and to find better ways of grounding out the stress and tension of those encounters before, during, and after they happen.