February 23, 2017
Birditt comments on new study linking stress hormone and health advantages of marriage
A new study by Brian Chin, et al. finds that marital status is a predictor of cortisol levels. In an article at Reuters, Kira Birditt commented, “This study is exciting because we know being married is associated with better health but we don’t know why this association occurs. Cortisol is a measure of stress response and may provide interesting insights into how relationships affect health.” She added it was unfortunate that the study did not include assessments of daily stress exposure or social interactions which could help to understand if variations in the daily lived experiences of married and unmarried people account for the differences in cortisol levels.