We all have been in love at least once. It is believed to be the most powerful emotion for a reason. While being in love influences your life extensively, it can also have a significant impact on your health. Surprised? Well, it’s true! Love can be highly beneficial for both your mental as well as physical well-being. Here’s a carefully compiled list of all the health benefits of love.  

1. Makes You Happier

When you fall in love, your brain releases large amounts of dopamine, which is a feel-good hormone linked to a feeling of pleasure and happiness. With dopamine being so active, people are always in a good mood and feel extremely appreciated and positive. 

2. Faster Healing

One of the major physical health benefits of love is that it can help wounds heal faster. Researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center conducted an experiment, where they gave blister wounds to married couples. These wounds healed almost twice as quickly in loving spouses as compared to couples who were hostile towards each other. 

3. Relieves Anxiety

Many studies have shown that loneliness can do significant damage to your health by activating pain centres and increasing inflammation. Loneliness stimulates anxiety, which is mediated by various neurotransmitters (chemical messengers of the brain), such as norepinephrine. Moreover, adrenaline and cortisol levels increase when people feel threatened and insecure, which can trigger the stress response in your body. The feeling of love and being close to someone can reduce anxiety significantly. MRI scans have indicated that people in long-term stable relationships had decreased activation in the part of the brain linked to anxiety and increased activity in the part of the brain responsible for pleasure response. 

4. Lowers Blood Pressure

Research also shows that a happy relationship is beneficial in lowering blood pressure. Scientists discovered that happily married couples had the best blood pressure levels, followed by singles, while the worst blood pressure levels were reported in unhappy couples. This study supported the conclusion that positive relationships can have a good impact on your blood pressure levels. Even singles with a supportive social network had good blood pressure levels, however, not as good as happily married people. 

5. Busts Stress

Studies have shown that social support is strongly associated with stress management. After the newness of a relationship fades, the dopamine levels are combined with another brain chemical known as oxytocin, which is also referred to as the love hormone. When people are securely attached to another person, their levels of adrenaline and cortisol reduce significantly. 

6. Relieves Pain

An fMRI study indicates that being in a long-term relationship increases activity in the area of the brain that reduces pain. In another study involving over 127,000 participants, married individuals experienced lesser incidents of back pain and headaches as compared to singles. This simply proves that being in love can help increase your pain threshold and relieve existing pain. 

7. Improves Sleep Quality

Since love helps relieve stress, people in happy relationships are more likely to sleep well and wake up more refreshed. Evidence suggests that happily married people are 10% more likely to enjoy a more restful sleep. 

According to Dr Angshuman Das, a neuropsychiatrist associated with Apollo 24|7, “love is a strong emotion that affects our mind and body alike. When you are in love, there is a release of some hormones in the body such as oxytocin (also called the love hormone), dopamine (also called the reward hormone), and serotonin (also called the feel good hormone), while there is a significant reduction in cortisol (also called the stress hormone). As a result of these hormones, one feels secure, relaxed, comfortable and happy with less stress. This helps a person fall sleep quicker and have better quality of sleep and overall life.”

All in all, healthy and loving relationships can provide plenty of emotional, mental, and physical health benefits. So, it’s essential to cultivate and nurture those relationships that make you feel supported, loved, and secure. If you need expert tips on how to strengthen your relationship,

Consult Dr Angshuman Das

 

Medically reviewed by Dr Sonia Bhatt.