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8 Astounding Health Benefits Of Being In Love

Written by Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna on Thu, 11 January 2024

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Valentine's Day may be behind us, but love can never quite go out of fashion! After all, apart from that amazing feeling and gift shower, falling in love has more benefits than you can imagine.

Let's have a look at why love is important and how being in love is good for your body.

A happy marriage, a happy heart

A happily ever after is what every married couple dreams of. Who would have thought there is scientific backing to this! Several studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular benefits of a healthy love life filled with love and support.

A loyal and high-confiding relationship can boost your heart health, reduce your partner's distress and even add more years to your life. Another interesting fact is that your partner's mood towards you during the day can impact your heart rate during the night. Feelings of closeness can lower your heart rate whereas annoyance can increase it. Looks like your partner can get under your skin.

Better relations, better blood pressure

Just like a happy relationship keeps your heart happy, it also does wonders for your blood pressure. The keyword here is happy. According to a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, happily married couples had the best control over their blood pressure, followed by singles.

To our surprise, unhappily married individuals had the worst results. The reason behind this outcome could be distress and negativity stemming from a difficult marriage.

So, if you want to work on getting your blood pressure under control, start with your spouse!

Why love is important for our lipid profile

No doubt being in love can lift our spirits. Hence, it goes without question that love and healthy relations are major contributors to our psychological well-being. According to research, this has a positive effect on blood lipid levels. Being in a happy state of mind for long periods can result in better HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Stress less, love more: why people need love

Despite the countless jokes about love being a stressful affair, studies have shown that social support that comes with a loving relationship can help combat stress.

The part of the brain responsible for stress response and resilience is called HPA. The hormone cortisol is released in response to stress and has several harmful effects on the body.

The love hormone Oxytocin can inhibit the activity of the HPA center and lower the cortisol response to stress.

Love and keep your spirits high

In times of sadness, we tend to seek support and love in our near and dear ones. This is not just a psychological tendency.

The feelings of closeness, belonging, and attachment to their partners that comes with being in a long-term relationship have been shown to reduce the states of anxiety and depression in couples.

This could stem from the fact that these relations engage the opioid and serotonin-rich neural regions that are responsible for anxiety and problems. No wonder being in love is known to feel like a high!

Fight infections with love

Love conquers all. Even colds and flu. Research suggests that being in love boosts your immune system. Falling in love has been shown to increase the activity of genes responsible for producing antiviral defenses. This means a better ability to ward off infections caused by viruses.

Falling in love also boosts our well-being, which is known to reduce stress and inflammation in the body. This could also be the reason behind improved immune responses when one is in love.

Love is a pain… killer

Keep your love in a photograph, and forget the pain. Sounds strange and fake? Well, it isn't, according to a study conducted at UCLA. In this study, women in happy relationships for at least six months were exposed to pain stimuli while looking at 3 images at different times: one of their partners, one of a stranger, and one of a chair. These women reported lower levels of pain when looking at the pictures of their partners!

Just looking at the pictures of your loved ones can help you forget your pain. So if you are going through a bit of a rough patch, just pop open your photo albums and reminisce.

Love heals

Love can heal not just your spirit and soul, but also your physical body. The power of love can even make wounds heal faster. Having an abusive or hostile relationship can slow down your healing.

This could be mainly because of the increased production of inflammatory substances like cytokines in the body that slow down healing and accelerate aging. In contrast, a loving relationship can help heal faster.

By now you must have understood that falling in love is not enough. Having a positive and healthy relationship is the key to boosting your health with the power of love.

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Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna

Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna is a Clinical Psychologist based out of Ukraine. She graduated from the Bukovinian State Medical University, Ukraine back in 2009. Driven by a thirst of knowledge and with a keen interest in matters of the mind, Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna went back to University in 2021 to specialise in psychiatry.

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Our team of experts frequently monitors developments in the health and wellness field, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Jan, 11 2024

Written By

Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna

Aug, 01 2023

Written By

Dr. Dovbakh Olga Dmitrivna