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Why a happy marriage is the best stressbuster of all
Last updated at 09:22am on 23.03.07
A study found married nurses were the least stressed about their jobs
Forget massages, hot baths and soothing music - the key to beating stress is as simple as a happy marriage.
Research shows that being in a loving relationship makes it easier to cope with the stresses and strains of working life.
Contrary to the popular perception that single people have a carefree lifestyle, it is those who are in long-term relationships who are most laid back.
Psychologist Dr Roxane Gervais monitored the stress levels of more than 400 nurses working in Yorkshire hospitals.
She found that those who were married, or in a steady relationship, were least affected by the strains of the job.
Single people and those who were widowed felt stress more keenly, while those who were divorced were the least relaxed of all, the British Psychological Society's annual conference in York heard.
It is thought that married people benefit from simply being able to talk through their day with someone after work. Such support may be particularly valuable in occupations such as nursing, in which emotions have to be suppressed during working hours.
Dr Gervais said: "When a patient dies, a nurse can't show any emotion. If there is a crisis, they get all the flak from the public and have to hold it in. They don't really have an outlet at work but when they get home, they do have an outlet."
She added that those looking for ways to reduce workplace stress may be better off focusing on the needs of single workers, rather than those who were married or had children.
The study is far from the first to show that marriage is good for health. Previous research has shown that those who marry are far more likely to live longer than those who never tie the knot.
This could be because people who are married take better care of themselves, perhaps because they feel they have more to live for.
They also benefit from the added support and from expanding their network of friends.
The break-up of a marriage, however, has the opposite effect, with women who divorce being 50 per cent more likely to develop heart disease in later life than those who stay married.
Stressed-out parents who work long hours are making their children unhappy, a report says. Fathers' stress levels are a particularly powerful influence, the study by the Institute of Education in London found.
The researchers analysed data from the British Household Panel Survey and focused on the impact of parental distress on 2,300 young people.
Those whose parents experienced a lot of stress were found to be significantly less satisfied with their lives than those whose parents took life more easily.
The findings followed a report from Unicef which placed Britain bottom of an international league table for children's well-being.
Researcher Anna Vignoles said: "If parents in the UK are more stressed for whatever reason, this is transmitted to their children, potentially explaining why they are less happy than their counterparts in other countries."
