Positive support from partners in a relationship can significantly reduce stress, as evidenced by cortisol levels. The research found that individuals felt more validated and cared for when their partners provided positive support, which led to lower cortisol levels.
Those who view their partner as supportive experience lower stress levels, according to the study. These findings emphasize the importance of open communication in reducing stress within relationships and open the door for further investigation into efficient coping strategies for helping others.
Key facts are key.
Positive social support from a partner is associated with lower stress levels, evidenced by reduced cortisol.
People who see their partner as generally supportive tend to have lower stress levels.
The study suggests that the way support is communicated (tone) may be more impactful than the content of the communication.
According to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, couples feel more understood and cared for when their partners show positive support skills. This is evidenced by levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
Researchers from Binghamton University, led by Professor of Psychology Richard Mattson, studied 191 married couples to see if improved communication skills while offering and receiving support led to lower cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress.
The couples sat down for ten minutes to talk about personal issues that weren’t tied to their marriage. How the participants perceived the support they received was evaluated by the researchers, who also collected saliva samples to check cortisol levels.
Mattson explained, “We found that wives who rejected assistance felt less understood, validated, and cared for by their partners, which amplified their stress.”
Positive support skills were shown by couples, and negative communication skills were shown by their partners.
How couples would act and perceive each other’s interactions accurately predicted their biological stress levels before the encounter. Couples’ behavior and perception were predicted by their overall perceived partner responsiveness.
Hayley Fivecoat, a graduate student at Binghamton, wrote the paper. She is a clinical research psychologist at the Family Institute. She is currently a clinical research psychologist at The Family Institute, where she is a clinical research psychologist.
We found that perceptions of support interactions shape our experience, according to Fivecoat.
The way each person saw the interaction was closely linked to how supportive and responsive they thought the person was in general.
One possibility is that perceptions of how supportive a partner is can build over time and across several interactions, and the more general picture shapes how particular behaviors are viewed in the moment.
Looking at specific behaviors across couples becomes less relevant because different types of support behaviors are needed for different people experiencing different kinds of problems.
The lowest levels of cortisol were found in those who perceived themselves as having a supportive partner.
It can be valuable to understand how couples support each other in stressful situations.
Support behavior and how it is communicated will be assessed differently in future studies. The authors believe that the tone of what was said was more relevant than the content matter because they believe that the tone of what was said was more relevant than the content matter. How you say it might be more important than what you say.
Furthermore, further research will examine different couples with diverse backgrounds, as this study only covered heterosexual relationships. Furthermore, further research will examine different couples with diverse backgrounds, as this study only covered heterosexual relationships. A standardized stressor will be used by researchers prior to the support communication exercise. Researchers will also use a stressor before the support communication exercise takes place.
We are also looking at alternative ways of measuring stress at the biological level to understand what effective partner support looks like, as cortisol is one of the many indicators of our bodies stress response system.
Nicole Cameron and Matthew Johnson, Binghamton psychology faculty members, contributed to the paper.
The writer is John Brhel.