People are largely unaware of the fact that the conflict strategies they decide to use can have a direct effect on their own physical health.

But researchers have recently linked conflict to physical health in numerous studies. These studies focus on how predispositions to be hostile and the adoption of competitive conflict tactics affect one’s health.

In particular, competitive demonstrations of hostility and anger affect the endocrine system, the cardiovascular system, and the immune system; however, more positive communication during con­flict does not have a negative effect on one’s health (Robles & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). Moreover, the bulk of this research casts interpersonal conflict as well­spring of stress that has physiological consequences. The following paragraphs briefly review some of this material (for thorough reviews, see Kiecolt-Glaser, McGuire, Robles, & Glaser, 2002; Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001; Robles & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003).

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