Engaging in constant arguments with your near and dear ones may shorten your life expectancy. According to a new study from Denmark, people - mainly men or unemployed - who have stressful social relations with family members or close friends frequently, are more likely to die early than the others.
For the study, Dr Rikke Lund and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen looked at 9,875 people, both men and women, aged between 36 and 52. During the 11-year-study, the participants completed questionnaires related to family conflicts, worries or reported too much demands from partners or children.
An investigation showed that nearly 196 people died in the 11 years, from various reasons including heart disease, cancer and liver disease caused by alcohol addiction and suicide, Daily Mail reported.
People who came across frequent worries or constant demands from the partner or children were found between 50 and 100 percent increased risk of premature death than those who never went through any of them. Engaging in frequent conflicts with partners, close friends or neighbours was linked to two to three times increased risk of dying early.
"Stressful social relations are associated with increased mortality risk among middle-aged men and women for a variety of different social roles," authors, while concluding their study, wrote. "Those outside the labour force and men seem especially vulnerable to exposure."
Exposure to continuous stress increases blood pressure and finally leads to heart disease, researchers, explained.
Importantly, men were affected more than women as they tend to keep everything inside themselves and do not share with anyone.
"Men to report smaller networks than women. They say their spouse or partner is their main confident. They may have a good friend or close colleague but their network is smaller. Women tend to have larger networks and they share the stress they have with good friends and family member," Dr Lund said.
"Men will limit their conversations with friends and family. The one person they have as a confident is actually the one putting the worries and demands on them then that could be making them more vulnerable."
Findings of the study have been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
