It takes longer for an injury to heal if you're arguing with your spouse. Researchers inflicted blisters on the arms of 42 couples on two separate occasions, one before an argument between spouses and the other before a less stressful social interaction. After an argument, it took a day longer for the blisters to heal. Relationship stress can lower the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines - proteins that help cells heal - at the site of an injury.
