If you are looking for a way to have naturally lower blood pressure, then being “married happily ever after” may be the answer! New research by Brigham Young University indicates that happily married couples have lower blood pressure than single adults.

For the study, 204 married and 99 single adults had their blood pressure recorded an average of 72 times over a 24 hour period. Questionnaires were used to establish whether a couple was “happily” or “unhappily” married as well as the strength of the single adult’s support network.

The results revealed that the happily married couple’s blood pressure was lower by an average of 4 points when compared to the single adults, even when those adults has a supportive network of friends. Unhappily married couples had the highest blood pressure of the three study groups. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor at Brigham Young University who lead the study, noted that the marriage relationship can provide emotional support and spouses often encourage each other to live healthier lifestyles.

“There seem to be some unique health benefits from marriage,” said Holt-Lunstad, “It’s not just being married that benefits health – what’s really the most protective of health is having a happy marriage.”

The study is titled “Is There Something Unique about Marriage? The Relative Impact of Marital Status, Relationship Quality, and Network Social Support on Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Mental Health.” and was published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Sources:

“Happily marrieds have lower blood pressure than social singles, BYU study shows” BYU Press Release. Retrieved 9-9-08 from http://byunews.byu.edu/archive08-MAR-happilymarried.aspx.