Beyond making us feel happy, relationships bring essential benefits for our health!
Love is powerful (we’ve learned it from countless Hollywood romantic movies). And it’s good for your health! We have an inherent need to build relationships, and positive relationships can significantly impact our mental and physical health. Whether with a romantic partner or close friend, solid and meaningful connections provide us with support, encouragement, and comfort, leading to better mental health and emotional wellbeing. Beyond making us feel happy, relationships also bring essential benefits from lowering our blood pressure and speeding up healing to reducing the sensation of pain and improving mental health. So check out the proven health benefits of a relationship!
Healthier heart
Love is good for the heart – literally! A positive relationship calms anxiety and lowers blood pressure. Also, showing affection and sharing physical contact helps to deal with stressful life events. A study by the University of North Carolina (US) found that couples with warm social and physical contact (such as holding hands or hugging) presented lower heart rates and blood pressure.
Faster healing
Love can heal all wounds. And a good relationship can speed up your healing. Research by the Ohio State University Medical Center (US) found that the wounds healed almost twice as fast in couples who interacted warmly and supported each other. The improved recovery can be attributed to lower levels of stress hormones, like cortisol. Whether it's a partner to remind you to take your medicine, a friend to help you forget the pain, or even an animal partnership to give unconditional love in a difficult time, strong social support goes a long way towards healing quicker.
Reduced pain
If love hurts, it also helps ease the pain. And a study by the Stanford University School of Medicine (US) proved it. The researchers investigated how showing photos of romantic partners and random attractive people impact subjects in experimentally-induced pain. Images of their brains using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) confirmed a 44.7% decreased in pain when subjects looked at pictures of their romantic partner. Another study by the Stony Brook University (US) showed more activation in the brain area that keeps pain under control of couples that had been together for a long time.
Increased physical fitness
When we meet that special someone, we feel particularly motivated to keep in shape. After all, we want to look and act our very best for our significant other. But this is not exclusive to romantic relationships. Partners and close friends often encourage us to exercise, eat well, not smoking, and keep other healthy behaviors. And they also often provide excellent exercise companions. When we have this kind of support and motivation, it’s easier to be more physically fit.
Reduced stress and fewer mental problems
On the one hand, relationships can be stressful; on the other hand, they make it easier to deal with the stress of daily life. This is what the University of Chicago (USA) research reveals. The study found that marriage and social support protect against the production of cortisol, a stress hormone, during stressful events. Being in a relationship can also help – a lot – to reduce depression and anxiety. A Health and Human Services (USA) report showed that depression decreased significantly, and research by the State University of New York (USA) demonstrated that anxiety dropped dramatically when in a stable relationship (especially a long-term one).
