How a couple argues may be more important than what they’re actually arguing about.

One such study was performed by Elaine D. Eaker, who surveyed 4000 men and women on whether they vent their feelings during a fight or bottle them up. Thirty-two percent of the men surveyed reported that they keep their feelings to themselves (self-silencing), compared to 23 percent of the women. The study followed up with the couples over a period of ten years, and found that women who self-silence were four times more likely to die in the space of ten years than women who vented, while mortality rates for men were unaffected.

 

Read the full article here: Arguing From the Heart