Dr. Linda Helps - Rev up the vacuum cleaning. Pull out the dust cloth and get to work men. You’ll have a happier, less lonely, and more involved marriage than men who don’t help around the house. Housewives all over America are applauding this finding. Finally, research that makes sense! Does it sound too good to be true?

Marital researcher John Gottman studied men who did housework and found them to not only be happier in their marriages, but also have lower heart rates and better health.  In addition, these men were less stressed and less likely to be sick in the four years following the initial research meeting.

I wish I could tell you that housework has curative powers -- that doing housework is the key to fabulous relationships. This certainly would liberate a lot of women and encourage men to share in the exciting work of cleaning, but it isn’t housework that cures troubled marriages.

Even though doing housework was tested as a separate factor in the marital study, housework really was not the issue. The husband who does housework tends to be a mutual and supportive partner as well. This mutuality and support evidenced in a life task like housework. Spouses who act in mutual and supportive ways have good marriages. They also enjoy physical benefit.

So the important thing to do is to engage in mutual and supportive acts with your spouse. Sharing in housework is definitely seen as supportive to most women!

Men, the next time you see your wives struggle to keep up with all the housework, turn off that football game. Pull out that toilet bowl cleaner, pat yourselves on the back, and say, “I’ll be less lonely, less stressed, and less likely to be sick if I scrub this commode.” Your wives will give you a big smile and say, “Now there’s the man I’m glad I married!”

*Research findings published by John Gottman, Ph.D. in May/June 1994 issue of the Family Therapy Networker.

Dr. Mintle – author, professor, Approved Supervisor and Clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy – is a speaker and media personality, as well as a licensed clinical social worker with over twenty years in psychotherapy practice.

For more articles and information, visit Dr. Linda Mintle's Web site.