Resolving an argument leads to a reduction, or even disappearance, of the emotional response associated with this disagreement, which can reduce stress and improve well-being.
- Those over 68 are 40% more likely than those under 45 to declare their conflicts as resolved the day they arise.
- Chronic stress is dangerous for health: it can cause many illnesses and weaken the immune system.
Sleeping with peace of mind improves well-being. To avoid being bothered and stressed at bedtime, it is best to resolve your conflicts before. American researchers from Oregon State University have found that it can reduce or even eliminate the emotional response associated with disagreement and reduce stress to improve well-being and general health. They presented the results of their research on January 10 in the journal The Journals of Gerontology.
Chronic stress, a health enemy
“Resolving your arguments is very important to maintain daily well-beingsummarized Robert Stawski, lead author of the study. Everyone experiences stress in their daily lives. You won’t prevent stressful things from happening. But the extent to which you can link them, end them and resolve them will certainly reap benefits in terms of your well-being..” Chronic stress is very bad for your health. In August 2019, South Korean researchers reported that this leads to the death of cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated in particular with memory, and prevents the production of new neurons. It can cause other illnesses such as depression and anxiety or cause physical problems such as heart disease, weakened immune system, reproductive difficulties and gastrointestinal problems.
It is important, on a daily basis, to strive to reduce everything that can lead to increased doses of stress. “Daily stressors, especially the little inconveniences we have throughout the day, have lasting effects on mortality and can lead to other conditions like inflammation and reduced cognitive function.”, details Dakota Witzel, co-author of the study and researcher in human development at Oregon State University.
Older people more likely to quickly resolve their conflicts
For the study, the researchers used data from 2,000 people surveyed about their feelings and experiences for eight consecutive days. They examined which arguments were used and which were avoided, especially in cases where people preferred to ignore a disagreement. They then measured how the incident affected the emotions reported by the volunteer, both on the day it happened and the day after.
Volunteers who managed to resolve their dispute on the day it occurred reported about half as much reaction to the event as those who failed to find a resolution to their dispute. Even more strikingly, people who settled their argument the day it happened showed no emotional response related to it the next day, while everyone else reported still being concerned about it.
Work on yourself to reduce the doses of stress
The researchers also looked at age-related differences in response to conflict. The results revealed that those over 68 are 40% more likely than those under 45 to declare their conflicts as resolved on the day they arose. For the researchers, older people may be more motivated to minimize negative emotions and maximize positive emotions due to their advanced age, which may explain why they are more inclined to resolve arguments quickly. “A result consistent with existing theories on aging and emotions”, write the researchers. They might also have more experience in argumentation and thus be more effective at defusing or avoiding conflict. “If older adults are truly motivated to maximize their emotional well-being, they will do a better job, or at least a faster job, of resolving stressors more quickly.”, continues Robert Stawski.
These results led the researchers to believe that it is preferable to work on oneself to reduce conflicts and thus reduce daily stress which can be devastating for health. “Although people cannot always control the stressors that come into their lives – and lack of control is in itself a stressor in many cases – they can work on their own emotional response to these stressors.concludes Robert Stawski. Some people are more reactive than others. But the extent to which you can mitigate the stress so that you don’t have that gnawing impact on you over the course of the day or for a few days will help minimize the potential long-term impact..”
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