Must Read: Study Finds That Married People Have Lower Levels Of Stress Hormone

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A recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University tenders the first biological evidence to explain how marriage influences the health of people in it. Previous studies have suggested that people who are married are much healthier than those who are, either single, divorced or widowed.

In the study, the researchers discovered that people who are married had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol when compared to those who have never been married or who were previously married but now divorced or widowed. The findings of the study further support the belief that unmarried individuals undergo more psychological stress compared to married people.

They explained that prolonged stress is related to the increase in the levels of cortisol, which is capable of interfering with the body's ability to regulate inflammation and then, eventually promote the development and progression of numerous diseases. The researchers noted that it is exciting to be able to find a physiological pathway that could explain how relationships influence health and disease, according to Science Daily.

To conduct the experiment, the researchers collected saliva samples from 572 healthy adults who were between the age of 21 to 55 years, over the period of three non-consecutive days. They collected the multiple samples during every 24-hour period so as to test for cortisol. The study authors found that study participants who were married had lower levels of cortisol compared to participants who have never been married or those who have previously married across the three day period.

They also compared the participants' daily cortisol rhythm and found that the levels of cortisol peak when a person wakes up and decline during the day. The participants who were previously married displayed a faster decline - a pattern that has been associated with lower risk of heart disease and longer survival period among cancer patients, according to UPI.

The findings of the study provide an important insight into the way human intimate social relationships could get under the skin to influence health," according to laboratory director, study co-author and Professor of Psychology at Robert E. Doherty University, Sheldon Cohen said. The findings were published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.