The couples fell into four categories: where both partners expressed anger when they felt unfairly attacked, where neither partner expressed their anger, and where just one or other of the partners did so.

In 50% of those pairs where both both partners suppressed their emotions, at least one of the partners died before the end of the study, as opposed to 25% death rates in the remaining pairs.

The researchers concluded that suppressing anger leads to resentment and resentment interacts with any health vulnerabilities you may have, increasing the chances of succumbing to that problem. It’s healthy to recognise that you are being attacked unfairly and even healthier to speak up and try to resolve the situation.