A Brigham Young University researcher conducted research on the relationship between marriage and stress.
Wendy Birmingham used an infrared camera to continuously measure pupil diameter. The body's physiological stress response is directly measured using the size of a pupil diameter.
Forty couples were provided to complete a challenging task on a computer. Some couples worked with their partners while some were randomly chosen to work alone.
"The neat thing is that the pupils respond within 200 milliseconds to the onset of a stressor," said Steven Luke, a study co-author and psychology professor at BYU. "It can immediately measure how someone responds to stress and whether having social support can change that. It's not just a different technique, it's a different time scale."
Stress was initiated in all participants in both groups. The findings showed that stress levels were significantly reduced as the spouse support group calmed down sooner.
Studies about real-time monitoring of health benefits related to the social connection are not common. Results of this study are published in PLOS One.
This research is based on the BYU landmark research that shows that relationships lengthen the life span of humans.
"When we have a spouse next to us and with us, it really helps us navigate and get through the stress we have to deal with in life," Birmingham said.
