A new study shows that a happy marriage is good for your blood pressure, but a stressed one may be worse than being single.

That second finding comes as a bit of a surprise because prior studies have shown that married people tend to be healthier than singles overall.

A study found that the more marital satisfaction and adjustment spouses reported, the lower their average blood pressure was over the 24 hours and during the daytime.
(CBC)

Researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad says it's going to take further study to sort out what the results mean for long-term health.

Her study involved 204 married people and 99 single adults. Study volunteers wore devices that recorded their blood pressure at random times over 24 hours. Married participants also filled out questionnaires about their marriage.

Analysis found that the more marital satisfaction and adjustment spouses reported, the lower their average blood pressure was over the 24 hours and during the daytime.

But spouses who scored low in marital satisfaction had higher average blood pressure than did single people. During the daytime, their average was about five points higher, entering a range that's considered a warning sign.