The latest epidemiological survey report shows that the incidence of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 23% for people who live with optimistic partners for a long time; In anxious partnerships, the risk of ulcerative colitis is 40% higher than that of the general population. Behind these shocking figures lies the secret of how personality traits profoundly affect physical health through partnership.
Susan Johnson, a marriage counselor, found in clinical practice that a partner's personality is like a knob to adjust a health thermostat. Optimists will actively construct a positive cognitive framework when facing diseases. In Johnson's case, an old man with early Parkinson's disease, in his wife's humorous daily jokes, insisted on completing rehabilitation movements with a frequency of 67%. Neuroscience research shows that this positive interaction can activate the reward circuit of prefrontal cortex, enhance dopamine secretion and form positive psychological and physiological feedback.
Psychologist John Gotman found that the cortisol levels of both partners in high conflict relationships are at a high level for a long time through a 30-year follow-up study. This hormone disorder not only inhibits the immune system function, but also leads to the increase of the concentration of C-reactive protein, a marker of chronic inflammation. What is even more shocking is that indifferent partnerships are more destructive than fierce quarrels. Those couples who show "emotional regression" in the conversation, their spouses' L-type calcium channel current density decreases by 18%, which directly affects the cardiovascular regulation function.
In the laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley, researchers have captured by functional magnetic resonance imaging that when a partner shows a high degree of empathy, the activity of amygdala in the other person's brain is significantly weakened. This means that a partner who is good at emotional regulation can effectively alleviate the stress reaction of the other half. Nutritionists have also found that a partner's personality traits will change the family diet structure. Fridges in anxious couples' families usually store more high-sugar foods, while optimistic couples tend to store seafood and nuts rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
It is worth noting that the influence of personality on health is not a one-way channel. The anxiety tendency of patients with chronic diseases will be transmitted to their partners through subtle nonverbal signals, which will trigger a chain of physiological stress reactions. This two-way mechanism requires us to re-examine the emotional dynamics in intimate relationships. A recent gene expression study found that the expression of inflammation-related genes in individuals who have been in supportive partnerships for a long time showed a downward trend, while the expression of stress-related genes decreased significantly.
Today, with the increasing popularity of health tracking applications, we may need to add a special functional module: personality health index. When the relationship model between emotional interaction data and physiological indicators is established, it may be able to warn the potential health risks in advance. After all, the soul mate who lives with us day and night has already become an inseparable second immune system in our bodies.
