How You Talk With Your Partner Affects Your Health and Happiness EP 41

Back in the 50s, the very popular magazine, Ladies Home Journal, ran a column called “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” It was one of the most-read magazine columns in the history of magazine columns!   This episode of GRUFFtalk picks up on where ‘Can This Marriage Be Saved’ left off . . . and focuses on a topic that could help couples get closer and yes, maybe even save their relationships: better communication with your partner.  Host Barbara Hannah Grufferman is a research junkie and a few weeks ago she came across a new study stating that if one or both partners in a relationship avoids tough conversations about tough things, it could create emotional distress, bad feelings about their relationship, chronic inflammation, and negatively affect their immune systems.   Yes, bad communication skills between partners is not only one of the top ten causes of divorce, but it can also wreak havoc with your health. The good news here, though, is this is fixable!  The guest today is the lead author of a new study showing that when committed couples communicate with each other in negative ways – even something as innocuous-seeming as rolling your eyes -- both partners – and women in particular – suffer emotionally and their immune systems deteriorate, affecting overall health and wellbeing, and happiness.   This topic really deserves your attention because there are steps everyone can take to try to fix the most common communication challenges   Dr. Rosie Shrout is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University. She also leads the Relationships & Health Lab and her primary focus in studying how stress affects couples’ relationships and overall health.   In this episode, Barbara and Dr. Shrout will discuss:  communication tactics that kill relationships  what happens to the body when tough topics are swept under the rug  how eyerolling and other subtle forms of communication can impact relationships  best tips to get your relationship back on track    More information about Dr. Rosie Shrout:  Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RosieShrout  Academic Profile:  https://hhs.purdue.edu/directory/rosie-shrout/  Articles:  https://www.newswise.com/articles/negative-marital-communications-leave-literal-figurative-wounds?sc=dwhn&user=10024489  https://theconversation.com/amp/marriage-provides-health-benefits-and-heres-why-190731  https://theconversation.com/stress-is-contagious-in-relationships-heres-what-you-can-do-to-support-your-partner-and-boost-your-own-health-during-the-holidays-and-beyond-173071  Connect with Barbara:   Love Your Age: The Small-Step Solution to a Better, Longer, Happier Life  Barbara Hannah Grufferman website  Instagram @Barbara Hannah Grufferman  Facebook @BarbaraHannahGruffermanAuthor  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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