The Healing Power of Love: 7 Surprising Health Benefits
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Key Takeaways
Increasing evidence shows that those who stay in satisfying, long-term relationships fare better in a variety of ways.
Love offers a number of both physical and mental health benefits
Love can even lead to a longer life
Most of us know the yearning of a first crush, the fluttery feeling of new love, or the inexplicable burst you feel inside when you feel unconditional love whether it is for a romantic partner, a child, or even a pet. Equally familiar may be the sadness of a break up or the heartache of loss. Love is core to the human experience. While there is no evidence that the intense passion of a new romance is beneficial to health, increasing evidence shows that those who stay in satisfying, long-term relationships fare better in a variety of ways.
7 Health Benefits of Love
Love Can Reduce Blood Pressure
Love issues are called “matters of the heart” and they truly are! Studies showed that participants with high levels of romantic relationship satisfaction experienced significantly lower blood pressure during social interactions with their partner. Overall, the population of people in high-quality romantic partnerships tended to have low blood pressure.
It’s worth working on maintaining satisfying, long-term relationships!
Love Can Increase Happiness
A Harvard study concluded that love has an ability to promote happiness. Oxytocin, known also as the love hormone, provokes feelings of contentment, calmness, and security, which are often associated with mate bonding. In addition to the positive feelings romance brings, love also deactivates the neural pathway responsible for negative emotions, such as fear and social judgment. These positive and negative feelings involve two neurological pathways.
Love Can Reduce Pain Levels Naturally
During a study investigating the relationship between love and levels of pain, researchers found that feeling love could naturally reduce pain. When study participants viewed a romantic partner, their brains responded. The results of brain scans suggest that the activation of neural reward systems via non-pharmacologic means can reduce the experience of pain.
Love Helps Us Heal Quicker
“Generally, we see patients with strong social support having better recoveries,” said Benjamin A. Steinberg, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of the University of Utah Healthcare. “That can be from friends or family, or even support from an animal partnership, like a pet.”
Love Boosts Our Immune System
Studies show that our immune system also benefits from love. People who engage in supportive, loving relationships tend to have higher levels of antibodies and white blood cells, which are important for fighting off infection and disease.
Love Reduces Anxiety
Love can stimulate a release of “happy chemicals” in the brain which can also help lower your risk of anxiety. Researchers are looking at how these chemicals can help people treat anxiety thanks to their powerful ability to reduce stress and calm nerves.
Love Can Help Us Live Longer Lives
A growing body of research indicates that those in long-term positive relationships live longer. Research shows that married people are often healthier. This may be due to all the reasons listed above including less stress, increased happiness, better immune systems, and faster healing. In addition, people tend to give up bad habits like heavy drinking or smoking and they may exercise more to support a relationship.
Time to Nurture Our Relationships
While nobody quite knows why loving relationships are good for our health, some scientists believe it is due to our social nature. Humans are social creatures and we have been crafted by evolution to liven closely knit groups. When that is not happening, our biological systems can get overwhelmed.
And while sharing love with others is clearly a priority, don’t forget self-love! Properly caring for yourself is an equally important part of your wellness routine.
Take time to tune in to those you love and nurture long-term relationships. The effort pays back in a multitude of ways.
About the Author
This article was written by the Woo School editorial team.
Sources
Cornelius T, Birk JL, Edmondson D, Schwartz JE. Romantic Relationship Satisfaction and Ambulatory Blood Pressure During Social Interactions: Specificity or Spillover Effects? Ann Behav Med. 2019 Mar 1;53(3):223-231. doi: 10.1093/abm/kay030. PMID: 29746629; PMCID: PMC6374713.
Li T, Wang P, Wang SC, Wang YF. Approaches Mediating Oxytocin Regulation of the Immune System. Front Immunol. 2017 Jan 10;7:693. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00693. PMID: 28119696; PMCID: PMC5223438.
“Love hormone” oxytocin shows promise in treating anxiety disorders. (2017, October 5). “Love Hormone” Oxytocin Shows Promise in Treating Anxiety Disorders | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. https://bbrfoundation.org/content/love-hormone-oxytocin-shows-promise-treating-anxiety-disorders
Love and the brain. (n.d.). Harvard Medical School. https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/love-brain
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