[Smartmarriages®] Happy Wives/Marriage & Work Stress/Marriage & Anxiety Disorders - 10/04

[smartmarriages at lists101.his.com]

- HAPPY WIVES, HAPPIER MARRIAGES
- HAPPY MARRIAGE MAY COUNTER WORK STRESS
- MARRIAGE AND ANXIETY DISORDER CORRELATION

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- HAPPY WIVES, HAPPIER MARRIAGES
Study suggests joy of marriage may be contagious
October 24, 2004
Brynn Mandel

A happy wife makes a happy marriage.

So says Mel Prince, a Southern Connecticut State University marketing
professor who recently completed a study examining job and life satisfaction
among 86 working, married couples.

Wives, Prince's research found, wield more influence than husbands in
determining the happiness of a marriage.

It comes as little surprise to some greater Waterbury women -- several of
whom already believed they had more bearing on their relationships than men
might like to let on.

Prince's advice to women: "Make yourself happy. That will naturally infuse
itself to your husband. Happiness radiates in marriage. So does
unhappiness."

And by happy, he does not mean just within the relationship, but an overall
contentment in life.

It works like this: if a wife is happy, that happiness can have what Prince
calls a crossover, or contagion, effect. Yep, husbands can catch happiness.

To Dawn Schuster, who spends most days listening to details of women's --
and sometimes men's -- lives as a stylist in her Naugatuck salon, Savoir
Hair, Prince's findings seemed right on.

"We kind of organize their lives," the mother of two said, joking of her own
other half: "Bill doesn't know where the toilet paper is (stored)."

Echoed Diane Wachtel, another stylist: "I think men just seem to go with the
flow most of the time."

Both ladies agreed that, based on their observations and interactions with
other women, wives' attitudes can have a "huge" difference on a
relationship's dynamics.

But before women start relishing their roles as rulers of their households'
happiness, Prince cautioned: the balance is only slightly skewed in females'
favor. Women's influence on wedded bliss is about 10 percent greater than
men's, he estimated.

Of course, there are other factors that can influence a marriage, regardless
of how fulfilled, happy or even Pollyanna-ish a woman may be.

"You could have a difficult husband," said Prince, offering financial and
health problems as other, sometimes insurmountable obstacles to a joyous
union.

Prince hypothesized that women weild this greater influence because they are
more in touch with their feelings than men, and better able to articulate
and express those feelings.

But at least two women, both of whom had been married for several decades,
had different perspectives.

"In our case it's probably equal," said Ruth Braziel, of Naugatuck,
pondering who could take credit for the happiness of her 52-year marriage.
Then she amended her answer: "It's my husband, because he's the greatest --
great sense of humor, great father -- the perfect idea of a husband."

A half-century, five children, 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren
later, the Braziels still have a regular date night, said Braziel, bragging:
"We're really proud of our marriage."

Prince's latest research, which typically encompasses sociology, psychology
and advertising, evolved from studies of employees' responses to work
environments and job satisfaction.

The study reaffirmed some widely held perceptions, such as the way men are
driven by power, pay and status. But women regarded enjoyment of their work
and a sense of accomplishment as more satisfying than salary.

Prince will present the study at the International Society of Quality of
Life Studies conference in Philadelphia Nov. 10 through 14.

Copyright © 2004 Republican-American
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- HAPPY MARRIAGE MAY COUNTER WORK STRESS
The London Free Press
October 26, 2004 
Judy Monchuk, CP 
    
CALGARY -- Having a happy marriage may help workers cope with
pressure-cooker stress at the office, a new study suggests. "People who have
stress and strain at work are at higher risk of high blood pressure, and if
they have supportive relationships at home, that modifies the effect," said
Dr. Sheldon Tobe of Toronto's Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences
Centre.

"But if they have a stressful relationship at home, it will actually make
their blood pressure worse," said Tobe, a Heart and Stroke Foundation
researcher.

The study found couples who were the most supportive and enjoyed each
other's company had the lowest blood pressure. High blood pressure increases
the risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney disease.

The findings, which applied to both men and women, are to be released today
at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Calgary.

Tobe's research looked at 248 full-time Toronto hospital workers, all
married or with partners, aged between 40 and 65. The 135 women and 113 men,
all considered highly paid and highly educated, wore blood pressure monitors
for 24 hours and filled out questionnaires evaluating job stress and marital
harmony.

"Our research is telling us that people who have high job stress should seek
more support at home to balance out their life," said Tobe. "And perhaps
people who have stressful relationships at home should seek a work life that
is more supportive and less stressful to balance their life as well."

The study did not examine if children had any impact on stress and blood
pressure.

More than one in five adult Canadians have high blood pressure. Half of
Canadians have developed high blood pressure by age 65.

More research being presented today found that a strong relationship among
co-workers can help reduce stress.

"Job strain is a combination of high levels of psychological demand at a
rapid pace coupled with low decision latitude, a feeling of having no
control, no empowerment, no opportunity to use one's skills," said Dr. Alain
Milot of Laval University, who will present results from the seven-year
study.

The research found that over time, people with low co-worker support were
more likely to develop high blood pressure from their jobs.

"We have found that the social support of colleagues or supervisors can
significantly modify this," said Milot, whose team initially assessed 7,485
white-collar workers in Quebec City and followed up with 6,200.

Tobe says while the results seem to be common sense, the studies hold a
strong message for employers.

"Most employers are happy that they're putting high job demands on employees
to be as efficient and productive as possible," he said.

"But where people don't have the ability to make decisions on their own, for
example, an air traffic controller who has to put up his hand to go to the
bathroom, employers can help," he said.

Copyright © The London Free Press 2001,2002,2003
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- MARRIAGE AND ANXIETY DISORDER CORRELATION

Hi Diane-
A Statistics Canada study found marital status to be a significant factor in
the prevalance of social anxiety disorder - it is more common for those
never married, separated or divorced than those who are married.  (
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041026/d041026b.htm)  Just another
fringe benefit of married life I guess...
Lisa Parkin
Marriage and Family Counselor
Alberta, Canada
 
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