Can Our Communication Style Impact Our Health?

It is well known that we tend to feel better when we communicate well with others. After all, who really enjoys getting into an argument? However, new research shows that how we communicate with one another can potentially impact our health, both through our thoughts and behaviors and on a biological level.

A recent study investigated the links between the ways that parents and their adolescent children communicate and health outcomes for adolescents. In this study, my colleagues and I recorded videos of parents and their adolescent child identified as at-risk for adult obesity in a five-minute conversation to solve a conflict related to food or eating (such as choosing healthier snacks). These interactions were then coded to relate to how the parent and adolescent communicated with one another and how they interacted.

Communication styles are related to thoughts and behaviors.

Results from this study found that adolescents who displayed more initiative in problem-solving, meaning that they were able to talk about the problem without placing blame and work towards a solution by suggesting solutions or engaging in compromise, were less likely to engage in reported disordered eating behaviors and concern about their own eating, body shape, or weight.

Similarly, adolescents who demonstrated autonomy in the conversation, meaning that they used logical reasoning and confidence to advocate for their opinions and needs while being able to listen to their parent’s point of view, demonstrated lower concern related to their weight.

Additionally, parents who engaged in overall positive communication skills such as having clear and direct communication, accepting responsibility, supporting their child even when there was disagreement, and showing active listening skills were less likely to have adolescents who reported concern with their eating behaviors.

These findings show that the communication skills of both parents and adolescents were associated with ways in which the child chose to act (in the case of engaging in disordered eating behaviors) or the way that they thought and felt about themselves (in this study, pertaining to their body image).

They are also related to biological health predictors.

Most strikingly, though, parents and children who displayed mutuality, or a communication style that includes working as a team and attempting to work on finding a solution together and maintaining a connection with one another throughout the conversation, were associated with adolescents who had lower insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. This finding occurred even though the research controlled for the age, biological sex, and body mass index (BMI) of the adolescents, which are typical predictors of insulin resistance, meaning that the association was not due to one of these already established links.

This study is an early exploration, so it cannot be concluded that the way parents and children talk to one another causes insulin resistance. Still, it does give evidence to consider that perhaps the ways we talk with our loved ones can impact us beyond our feelings and choices. Our body chemistry may also be influenced by our interactions with others.

So, what might this mean to you?

Though the research on how our communication style impacts our physical health is new, findings such as the ones in this study suggest that the ways that we communicate with important people in our lives can have impacts on how we think and feel about ourselves, the ways that we choose to act, and may also impact us on a biological level. If you have been struggling with communication or maybe having more conflict with your partner or your kids, it might be beneficial to investigate getting some support for learning ways to communicate better.

Who knows, it might help to improve your health. In the worst case, it will help you be able to build deeper relationships with those most important to you.