Residents split over research on calming effect of partner

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: They often say that a problem shared is a problem halved and now it seems that science backs up the phrase.

As reported in London's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, researchers have discovered that having a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend nearby can lower blood pressure and heartbeat rates.

Gulf News spoke to residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to ask if they thought having your other half close at hand helped reduce the pressures of everyday life.

Sherif Mokbel, a 28-year-old art director from Egypt, said having a partner to help in stressful tasks can be calming.

"I think it can be calming, it depends on the partner. Some people can stress you out and some people can be very helpful. If the partner is organised they can really make it work," he said.

Filipina photographer Gina Mabaya, 32, said that the understanding that a partner offers can have a calming effect.

"You can talk to each other and discuss whatever problems you have. You shouldn't sleep without talking to each other," she said.

Dean Al Hassin, 29, a financial investor from the USA, said: "I usually don't get stressed but it definitely has a calming effect. The partner can be there to support you in your decisions and make things better for you."

Lana Kattan, an educational adviser, said: "I think it depends on how useful your partner is; if your partner is as stressed as you are, it's not effective. If he's the type of person who's logical and organised, it can help you calm down."

Security supervisor Ahmad Ebrahim, 31, from India, said he finds being with his wife and his two daughters, who are aged nine and four, very much helps to reduce his stress levels.

"When my wife is present with me without a doubt I feel comfortable. When I was with my wife in India during my vacation I felt I was very happy.

"When I feel stress in Dubai, I call my wife and my daughters. I spend a lot of money on telephone calls," he said.

Jonetta Crain, 46, an American, said when she is in a relationship her 'stress levels are lower'.

"[Having a partner] diverts your attention. However, when a relationship isn't working, it can make life more stressful, and if your partner is living with a stressful situation, you can take some of that on you," she said.

Bachelor Nishant Tyagi, 18, an optometry student, said he believes that having a partner is more likely to reduce than increase stress levels.

"If you are both similar people, then having a partner can put you in a better position," he said.

Not everyone is convinced, however, of the benefits of having a partner around. For example, Tamara H., 29, an advertising executive from Palestine, said it can make life harder.

She said: "I'm the type of person who likes to focus on the task and having a partner with me makes it more complicated and distracting. I just like to go buy whatever I have to buy and leave especially at a time where malls are crowded."

Similarly, Edward Ayoub, 29, a physiotherapist, said: "I think having a partner can make stressful situations more stressful than they are; in some cases it can be calming but in most cases it's stressful."

Aircraft engineer Mahes Varan, 46, from Singapore, said he too did not agree with the researchers' findings. "I think stress levels probably rise when your spouse is with you," he said jokingly.

"This is especially if you are preparing meals and she has her own idea and you have your own idea and you have a bit of a disagreement. Then when you are watching television, if somebody is talking when I want to watch something in silence, that irritates me."

More than 1,000 people given math test

Having your loved one in the room during high-pressure situations can have a calming effect and improve your performance, according to British public health experts. Researchers tested more than 1,000 people who were either married or in a relationship by asking them to perform a timed mental arithmetic test. The Sunday Telegraph reports that men with partners present had a greater reduction in blood pressure compared with those who took the test alone.