11 Surprising Health Benefits of Love You Didn’t Know about – Infographic
Did you know that love can actually boost your well-being? Take a look at this infographic to learn about the proven health benefits of love.
Spring is in the air. As the temperatures rise and the flowers burst forth, our thoughts are naturally turning to love.
Have you noticed? People in love seem to glow from within. They step more lightly and handle life’s annoyances with greater equanimity and calm. We can’t help but wonder: Biologically speaking, is there something behind these side effects?
Can science prove that being in love is good for you, or is it just a lot of sentimental nonsense, prompted by the return of the birds and the new leaves on the trees?
It turns out that science has plenty to say about love. Studies from Chicago to Utah have proven that that partnered people really are healthier than their single peers. Whether we’re talking heart health or anxiety levels, lovers out-perform loners on test after test.
Just in time for the first day of spring, we’ve rounded up a raft of studies that all come to the same conclusion: Love relationships hold the key to a happier, healthier life. From lowering blood pressure to fighting colds, Cupid’s arrow delivers healing powers that money just can’t buy.
For instance:
Less Stress
Cortisol is the hormone that’s associated with stress and comes with a host of health-hurting side effects. A study from the University of Chicago revealed that people in strong unions handle stress much better than their single folks did, showing reduced levels of cortisol.
Faster Healing
Positive vibrations promote speedier healing. When scientists inflicted small blister wounds on couples in an experiment, partners who had warm and loving exchanges healed almost twice as quickly as those who engaged in hostile arguments.
Heart Health
It’s not just men whose hearts benefit from a long-term partnership. Marriage has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks (both fatal and not) in both women and men. If you’re single, you’re up to 66% more likely to face a cardiac emergency in any given year.
We’ve only just begun our romantic journey. How else does love boost your well-being? Read on for eight more proven health benefits of love.
Marriage dramatically lowers the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks in both men and women of all ages. Compared to their partnered peers, single folks face a 58-66% greater risk of cardiac events.
FEWER STROKES
For men, a happy marriage is a buffer against stroke. An Israeli study shows that single guys face a 64% greater risk of fatal stoke than married males do—but only if the unions are sound and supportive.
LESS STRESS
A strong partnership can put the kibosh on cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. In an experiment at the University of Chicago, strongly connected people handled stress better than their single peers did.
BETTER AGING
Want to stay healthy as you get older? Try improving your love life. In a 2013 study, happily married participants reported better health as they aged compared to their peers in less robust unions.
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
Another study shows that the blissfully hitched have lower blood pressure than their single counterparts—even those with strong social networks. But unhappily married folks fare the worst of all.
LONGER LIFE
It’s a fact: Married people live longer than their unwedded counterparts. According to the National Health Interview Survey, singletons face a 58% higher risk of mortality in any given year.
FEWER COLDS
Carnegie Mellon researchers have proven that happy, calm people fend off colds and flus more readily than anxious or depressed ones. The takeaway? Positive relationships can help protect against the crud.
SPEEDIER HEALING
When scientists inflicted small blister wounds on couples, the injuries healed almost twice as quickly when the partners interacted with warmth. Arguments and hostility caused a full day’s delay in healing.
MORE CALM
MRI brain scans reveal the rewards of love. The gray matter that governs anxiety is calmer when you’re in a long-term love match. The lively part of a lovebird’s brain? It’s the region that regulates bonding.
LESS PAIN
Love doesn’t hurt after all. Scientists have proven that people consumed with love just don’t have time for the pain. When focused on an image of their beloved, their brains manage discomfort better.
HAPPIER LIFE
Matrimony also buffers against being bummed out—in both the short-term and the long. Researchers have documented a happiness dividend in the year after marriage, and it persists over the years.
******
Flying solo right now? Fear not. Scientists have also shown that a strong network of friends, family, neighbors and other important connections boost the odds of a long, healthy life by 50%.
