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I
n 1977, James Lynch wroteTheBrokenHeart.The title was a metaphor for the
effects of relationships on health, specifically coronary heart disease. Lynch
claimed there are
few conditions in life that do not involve some type of human contact, and so in one
sense it would be remarkable if human contact did not influence our hearts. Like the air
we breathe, it envelops every aspect of our lives. A simple visit to your doctor, arguments,
reassurance and praise, sexual activity, social gatherings, competitive sports, the loss of
a friend or loved one, jealousies, humiliations, human triumphs, the cuddling of a child
in your lap, the silent hand-holding between two lovers, the quiet comforting of a dying
patient—all these affect the heart. (p. 12)Lynch noted an association between markers of social isolation (e.g., high mobil-
ity) and high mortality rates from heart disease. Since then, numerous studies have
demonstrated links between aspects of social relationships and health.
This chapter examines the implications of relationships for women’s and men’s
health. We know the female gender role involves a relationship orientation. Does this
mean women benefit more than men from social relationships? Or does men’s lack of
a relationship orientation make relationships all the more important to their health?
In the first part of the chapter, I describe the influence of relationships more generally
on health—a body of work referred to as social support. Next, I focus on the implica-
tions of a primary social relationship for health: marriage. I focus on marriage because
quite a bit of evidence suggests that marriage affects men’s and women’s health in dif-
ferent ways. I also focus on marriage because it is one of the most important relation-
ships (if not the most important relationship) to men and women. I explore the health
implications of the loss of this relationship through death and relationship dissolution
(e.g., divorce). Next, I examine the health implications of the quality of marriage for
CHAPTER 11
Relationships and Health
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