London:
A new study says being wedded or in a long-term relationship improves the ability to deal with stress.
Researchers at the University of Chicago found that when people in a relationship are put under pressure they produce fewer stress related hormones than their single counterparts.
The hormone called cortisol is released when the body is stressed and is part of its "fight or flight" reaction to danger. It is seen as a measure of how stressed someone feels.
Lead researcher Professor Dario Maestripieri said: "What we found is that marriage has a dampening effect on cortisol responses to psychological stress - and that is very new.
"These results suggest single and unpaired individuals are more responsive to psychological stress than married individuals, a finding consistent with a growing body of evidence showing that marriage and social support can buffer against stress."
The finding may go some way towards explaining previous studies that have shown married people live longer and have less heart disease and other health problems, the Telegraph reported.
For their research, Prof Maestripieri and his team got 500 students - almost half of whom were married or in relationships - to play a series of economic computer games which were said to be part of their exams.
Saliva samples were taken before and after to measure hormone levels and changes.
Each student was told that the test was a course requirement, and it would impact their future career placement to create a high pressure situation that would affect levels of cortisol.
Concentrations of the hormone increased in all participants - particularly among the women. But a piece of personal information collected beforehand provided another interesting difference within the subjects.
Prof Maestripieri said: "We found unpaired individuals of both sexes had higher cortisol levels than married individuals.
"Although marriage can be pretty stressful, it should make it easier for people to handle other stressors in their lives."
The study also found single students also displayed higher testosterone levels than their married or committed colleagues - a finding that mirrors previous human research as well as animal observations.
Previous research has shown that married couples live longer and enjoy better health. It found that the mortality rate for single men aged between 30 and 59 two and half times higher than those who are married.
The new study was published in the journal Stress.
Researchers at the University of Chicago found that when people in a relationship are put under pressure they produce fewer stress related hormones than their single counterparts.
The hormone called cortisol is released when the body is stressed and is part of its "fight or flight" reaction to danger. It is seen as a measure of how stressed someone feels.
Lead researcher Professor Dario Maestripieri said: "What we found is that marriage has a dampening effect on cortisol responses to psychological stress - and that is very new.
"These results suggest single and unpaired individuals are more responsive to psychological stress than married individuals, a finding consistent with a growing body of evidence showing that marriage and social support can buffer against stress."
The finding may go some way towards explaining previous studies that have shown married people live longer and have less heart disease and other health problems, the Telegraph reported.
For their research, Prof Maestripieri and his team got 500 students - almost half of whom were married or in relationships - to play a series of economic computer games which were said to be part of their exams.
Saliva samples were taken before and after to measure hormone levels and changes.
Each student was told that the test was a course requirement, and it would impact their future career placement to create a high pressure situation that would affect levels of cortisol.
Concentrations of the hormone increased in all participants - particularly among the women. But a piece of personal information collected beforehand provided another interesting difference within the subjects.
Prof Maestripieri said: "We found unpaired individuals of both sexes had higher cortisol levels than married individuals.
"Although marriage can be pretty stressful, it should make it easier for people to handle other stressors in their lives."
The study also found single students also displayed higher testosterone levels than their married or committed colleagues - a finding that mirrors previous human research as well as animal observations.
Previous research has shown that married couples live longer and enjoy better health. It found that the mortality rate for single men aged between 30 and 59 two and half times higher than those who are married.
The new study was published in the journal Stress.
