In the movie, Cinderella said, “Do you love me because I’m beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?”
Well, apparently love makes us more than just beautiful. Loving others make us healthier! This love month, let us review some of the research findings about how love can make us healthy.
Love can boost your immune system. Dr. Gian Gonzaga, senior director of research and development at eHarmony Labs, claims that “happy couples who engage in positive conflict resolution have higher functioning immune systems than those who don’t.”
Couples who tear each other apart showed declining immune systems compared to couples who discuss their differences in a more loving and positive way.
Love can help you become physically fit. Fitness experts say that couples who work out and exercise together, be it in the gym or a sport, tend to stick to a regimen much longer than when they do it alone. This also applies to healthy eating. A person can stick to healthier eating habits if done as a couple versus solo. A further observation is that men and women work about 15-percent harder when they exercise together, either because they are inspired or excited, giving them more energy.
Love can help you live longer. A 2004 study by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that mortality rates are lowest in married couples. Dr. Joseph Hullett said that “people experience less stress, generally, when they’re in a committed, healthy relationship. Less stress means better health. It’s also proven that men, when they are married, forego their riskier habits like heavy drinking and smoking, which leads to longevity.”
Dr. Dean Ornish, in his book Love and Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health, said that lack of love causes social isolation, which increases the risk of early death by up to five times. He added that feeling connected is essential to good health. Harvard University also found that married women are 20-percent less likely and married men 100 to 200-percent less likely to die of stress-related causes like heart disease, suicide, and cirrhosis of the liver than single people.
Writing love letters can lower cholesterol. Two random studies published in Human Communication Research revealed that healthy college students who spent 20 minutes a day writing their affection for loved ones whether family, friends or romantic partners registered significant drops in their total cholesterol.
Lovingly holding hands can calm nerves. A study published in Psychological Science claimed that holding hands with someone you love has a calming effect on the body. Researchers recruited happily married couples, then subjected the wives to MRI scans plus a mild shock on their ankles. Their recorded anxiety levels dropped significantly when their husbands reached out and held their hands while undergoing the MRI.
Bonding with a loved one can lower blood pressure. A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine detailed how people who spent time with their romantic partners experience a dip in blood pressure compared to being with strangers. The study explained that the blood pressure drop is from “sweet silence” or a “perceived emotional support,” the kind you get from someone you trust and know you well.
Loving hugs are great for the heart. A University of North Carolina research concluded that a warm embrace with someone you love releases oxytocin or the feel-good hormone. This hormone can lower blood pressure and reduce or balance stress hormones.
Love can even help fight cancer. A new study on ovarian cancer by the University of Iowa showed that those with strong family/social support or satisfying relationships had vigorous “natural killer”cell activity at the tumor site. Dr. Vermont Coleman said that the desirable white blood cells kill cancerous cells as part of the body’s immune system.
Love can make your heart healthy. Dr. Hullett explains, “Human beings are social animals who have biological drives that make them want to find relationships. When they can’t find those unions, they’re punished with stress. People in happy relationships experience less stress, which in turn improves their cardiovascular health.”
He adds that “people who aren’t in stable, committed relationships have an increased rate of heart attacks, particularly those who have been widowed.” So being broken-hearted is not only emotional but also physical.
Love can enhance your mental well-being. A study from Rutgers University found that participants had an increase of dopamine brain activity when they look at the picture of someone they deeply love. Dopamine is associated with optimism, energy, and a sense of well-being.
So, truly as the song goes, perhaps all we need is love!
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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.