AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Married people in loving relationships heal faster than wives and husbands in hostile relationships, Texas and Ohio researchers say.
The mind-body connection is significant and "argues that we need to attend to these things, especially when individuals are coming in for surgery," said co-author Timothy Loving of the University of Texas.
"When people are going in for surgery, they're often quite apprehensive," said lead author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University.
"They spend huge amounts of time trying to get everything done. It makes more sense to relax," Kiecolt-Glaser told the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman.
The researchers said their study of 42 married couples found that those in hostile relationships -- even those that were only mildly hostile -- averaged one day longer to heal from injuries that occurred during the test period.
The team called for additional study on the subject reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
