Couples who fight often tend to eat more unhealthy food and face more health risks than those who don't, according to a new study led by Lisa Jaremka, assistant professor at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware.
A heated argument with a spouse causes the level of the hunger hormone ghrelin to spike, inducing cravings for food. And these cravings are not just for any food, but unhealthy food.
"Ghrelin's not just pushing you to eat," Jaremka told "Today." "It's creating a craving for specific types of foods: those that are high in sugar, high in fat and high in salt."
The study was conducted to determine if marital distress affected appetite and caused people to have poor food choices, putting them at a higher risk for health problems. The research team recruited 43 couples with an average age of 38. The couples have been married three years and up, and the average duration of marriage was 11.49 years.
Blood samples were taken from the participants, after which they were told to discuss one problem they have been having disagreements about. As the couples did so, arguments erupted. While the couples engaged in heated discussions, the researchers took note of details like name calling and eye rolling.
Afterward, blood samples were again taken from the participants. Test results showed that those with distressed marriages had higher levels of ghrelin compared to those with healthier marriages.
However, the finding applies only to participants who had normal weight or were overweight. It did not apply to obese couples, probably because obese couples already had poor diet quality, according to researchers.
The authors of the study concluded that couples in distressed marriages had higher levels of ghrelin and poorer quality of diet compared to couples with less marital problems. This means they tend to eat more fatty, salty and sugary food. Thus, couples in distressed marriages face a higher health risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
The study was published in the July 29 issue of the journal Clinical Psychological Science.
