How happy you are in your marriage affects your heart in more ways than previously thought as researchers have found that unhappy marital interaction is linked to thicker carotid arteries and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 'Growing evidence suggests that the quality and patterns of one's social relationships may be linked with a variety of health outcomes including heart disease' said Thomas Kamarck professor of psychology at University of Pittsburgh in the US. (Read: The key to a happy marriage? Sharing the household work!) 'The contribution of this study is in showing that these sorts of links may be