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7 Surprising Health Benefits Of Love
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Isn’t being in love just the best feeling ever? Those butterflies in your tummy? That burning desire to see your belle or beau every second of the day? Well, as it turns out love doesn’t just feel good, but it does good too. Take a look at the list we’ve compiled of the top most surprising health benefits of love.
1. Less stress
Yes, the power of love comes with free stress relief! That’s because when you’re in love you have someone to share your thoughts with, someone to calm you down when you’re angry, share your humour and talk through your worries with. All of these factors contribute to a healthy, calm state of mind and quite simply relieve stress by making you feel like you don’t have to take all of life’s burdens on your own. Not only that, but a happy relationship with a loving partner means that any stressful situations that you encounter in life do not have to be tackled on your own. And, like the saying goes, “A problem shared is a problem halved.”
2. Healthier heart
The heart has long been associated with the ups and downs of love, and it’s said that both humans and animals can actually die from a broken heart caused by losing a loved one. Conversely, being in love in a happy relationship certainly carries benefits for this key organ. Firstly, spending time with a loved one has been proven to lower blood pressure, which in turn means a healthier heart. This is similar to the de-stressing effect that love brings by having that constant emotional support from a significant other. This effect has also been said to apply to spending time with good friends and family members who you feel very comfortable with.
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3. Lower blood pressure
As mentioned in the previous point, being in love has a positive effect on blood pressure, but how exactly? Well, it’s mainly because the physical contact such as hugging and hand-holding with a loved on boosts the production of hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine, which are key in lowering blood pressure, relieving stress, and giving us an overall feeling of happiness and contentment.
4. Longer life
Okay, this one is seriously amazing, and yes, it’s true! Being in a lasting, loving relationship entails not only all of the previously mentioned points, but it’s also been proven to boost your lifespan. This is because happily married, and non-married for that matter, couples look out for each other, they take care of each other. They tend to deter bad habits such as excessive drinking and eating unhealthy foods and praise their partners for leading a healthier lifestyle compared to single people. Relationships can also give people a greater sense of purpose and fulfilment in life, which translates in better self-care and less risk-taking. All of this ultimately means, of course, that a person is more likely to live longer.
5. Quicker healing
Thought love couldn’t get any better? Well, it just did. A study conducted in 2005 proved it. Researchers found that a married couple’s 30-minute positive, supportive discussion sped up their bodies’ ability to recover from an injury by at least one day. This is no doubt due to the other positive benefits that love has on the body which in turn allows it to heal itself quicker when injured.
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Photo credit: bigstock.com
6. A greater sense of calm
Spending quality time with your partner instils a sense of calm in your body. The bond that you share means it doesn’t matter if you sit in silence sometimes because you don’t necessarily need to talk constantly. You’re just happy to be in each other’s company which relaxes your body and mind.
7. Boosted immune system
Because love reduces our stress levels, it also makes sense that it boosts our immune system as well! Lower stress means your body can fight back more effectively against bacteria and viruses and feeling more relaxed supports your microbiome by making it harder for bacteria that could harm friendly flora to enter your gut. Not only that, but by frequently kissing your partner you’re exchanging lots of friendly flora which is key in boosting your immune system – so get smooching!
READ ALSO: Do’s And Don’ts Of Living A Happy Life Infographic
So, there you have it, being in love is not only the best feeling in the world but also brings a range of health benefits to your body. These are mainly linked to improve cardiovascular health and a calmer mind thanks to all those happy hormones but being in love can also encourage you to take care of yourself more and make healthier everyday choices. Love is in the air!
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