Marriage can be good for your blood pressure, a new study suggests - but only if it's a happy union.
Happily married people scored an average of four points lower on blood-pressure tests than single people, even those singles who enjoy a rich social network. But singles have healthier blood pressure than people in unhappy marriages, according to research published today in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
"It's the quality of the marriage, not being married per se," said lead researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University.
For the study, 204 married and 99 single adults wore portable monitors that measured their blood pressure at random intervals throughout the day and night.
Dr. Holt-Lunstad said she was surprised to discover that single people with a strong network of friends and relatives still had higher blood-pressure rates than happily married people. Single people tended to have higher blood pressure at night, which indicates an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
"One of the things that seems to give the spousal relationship special status compared to other relationships is there seems to be a greater level of commitment or intimacy," Dr. Holt-Lunstad said.
Even good friendships, her research indicates, don't deliver the same health benefits as a spouse - or, perhaps, a live-in romantic partner. Dr. Holt-Lunstad's research looked only at married couples and single people who were not living with anyone, so she doesn't know whether the blood-pressure benefits are the same for couples who are happily shacking up.
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