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Holding back anger? Prepare to have your back treated
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A team of specialists from a US state research university (California) and a private American research university (Illinois) found out that a person's reaction to a quarrel can help determine what diseases may develop in 15-20 years, and, according to the scientists, the probability of such a "prediction" is quite high.
Experts note that emotional people who give free rein to their feelings and anger may suffer from heart problems and high blood pressure in the future, while people who restrain themselves and suppress negative emotions may suffer from back problems.
The experts made such conclusions as a result of an experiment in which 156 normal families took part. For 20 years, scientists monitored the health of the husband and wife, and all participants in the study periodically answered questions from experts regarding their lives. The subjects' age at the beginning of the experiment (some participants were over 90 years old by the end of the study), athletic training, level of education, and the presence of bad habits were taken into account.
Every 5 years, the participants had to talk to each other in the presence of specialists on topics on which each of the spouses had their own point of view, different from their other half - in this way, the scientists provoked a quarrel between the spouses. As a result of such a semi-artificial conflict between husband and wife, the scientists monitored the manifestation of emotions of the subjects (facial expression, volume of voice, tone) and identified 2 types of behavior during a family quarrel.
The first type of behavior was characterized by speaking in raised tones, anger (pressing lips, drawing eyebrows together), while the second type was characterized by “squeezing,” suppressing emotions, and looking away.
Further observations of the subjects' health showed that people with the first type of behavior began to develop hypertension and heart disease with age, while those with the second type more often developed back and muscle diseases.
According to experts, this study is extremely useful, since knowing certain “markers” that indicate possible health problems in the future can prevent a number of diseases.
Another interesting study showed that a child's psychological health depends on the number of parental hugs and kisses. This discovery was made at Michigan State University and experts are sure that the more parents kiss and hug their child, the better their mental and physiological health. The results were obtained during an experiment in which children and teenagers from 10 to 17 years old took part. Each participant had to keep a special diary in which they noted their parents' well-being and relationships, both among themselves and with them.
As a result, it was found that families where parents are friendly and affectionate, children are less susceptible to illness, and in case of illness, the recovery process is easier and faster, and the restraint of parents (both among themselves and in relation to the child) did not contribute to the increase of the psycho-emotional background and did not improve the physical health of the child. Based on the results obtained, scientists recommend even after a quarrel, to show the child that the parents love him and each other, without being embarrassed to show feelings.
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