New research finding suggest that having a good verbal joust every now and then may be beneficial to your health. And we don’t just mean your mental health, it’s good for your physical health as well. It is good for you to have constructive arguments with the people who are close to you, no matter the type of relationship. If you constantly try to avoid all arguments, it may be actually have a negative impact on your health. The research was conducted at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The head researcher is Kira Birditt.

Birditt’s research found that that if you avoid clashes all the time, this caused an increase of health symptoms the next day. There was lower likelihood of measured physical symptoms for those who were actually involved in a debate. The study also found that avoiding confrontation caused an imbalance in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Not speaking your mind in a tense situation could cause this hormonal imbalance to last for more than one day. Cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress. However, high levels of the hormone or prolonged periods with high levels of cortisol in the bloodstream create a host of symptons from high blood pressure to impaired cognitive functioning.

We all know that being able to effectively deal with challenging people and difficult situations is a life skill worth having. Many of us, however, are not aware that a healthy confrontation is actually good for your health. The research examined assessments from 1,842 adults between the ages of 33 and 84 who participated in the study. Ironically, Birditt’s previous research revealed that the most common way that people cope with their problems in all types of relationships is to simply avoid them. Now we know better! A healthy debate is a good for you.

The only question that remains now is whether the extra confrontation will also benefit our relationships.

The study’s findings were presented on August 12, 2010 at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.