Love can put is in a good mood and it turns out there is a scientific reason for it. Loving and caring for someone can actually positively impact your overall mental health and wellbeing.
However, if you or someone you love is suffering from mental illness, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a mental health professional. Check out this article to learn more about transference psychotherapy.
Let’s take a look at just a few of the ways being in love can positively impact your mental health.
5 Incredible Mental Health Benefits of Being in Love
From improving our moods to helping us live longer lives, being in love definitely has its perks.
1. Happiness
When we fall in love with someone, we get a boost in dopamine which is a brain chemical that makes us feel good. This can make us feel appreciated, positive, and possibly even euphoric. However, this is not only the case with people who recently fell in love.
According to some studies, dopamine levels will stay higher as your love grows, evolves, and matures. In addition, the spike in cortisol and decrease of serotonin that occurs when we first fall in love will level out. This can cause us to settle down while keeping that good boost in mood.
2. Decreased Stress and Anxiety Levels
As our love grows, not only do we continue to have increased levels of dopamine, but we also have more oxytocin. Oxytocin is the bonding hormone that decreases stress and provides that warm, relaxed feeling around the person that you love.
When we feel secure and in love with our partner, our stress levels decrease. Sometimes we have a drastic decrease in stress and anxiety. This is probably due to decreased cortisol and adrenaline.
These feelings come anytime we are with or talking to our significant other. In fact, we actually even get those feelings when we think about the person we love and care deeply about.
Also, there are some studies that show that being lonely can actually increase inflammation and pain levels. In addition, loneliness can cause anxiety whether it is related to inflammation and pain or separate from it.
This effect may be caused by increased levels of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine in addition to cortisol and adrenaline. These things may also increase when we do not feel secure, and love can provide a sense of safety and security.
3. Self-Care
People in love often encourage their partners to take care of themselves. They encourage each other to eat healthier and go to the doctor.
People in love may even be more likely to detect melanoma because they know each other and can spot dangerous moles or other abnormalities in the skin.
4. Longer Life
Married people actually live longer than their unmarried peers according to several different studies. In fact, this benefit comes with any loving relationship, not only romantic ones. So, keep close friends and family for a longer life.
The reason our life is longer may be because of a solid support system and emotional partner that we can trust and lean on when we need them. This may also be because our loved ones encourage us to avoid risky behavior and engage in healthy habits and activities. Either way, this is a wonderful benefit to love (as if love needed any more benefits).
5. Self-Esteem
Loving relationships may help us improve our overall self-esteem as well. We may feel more confident about ourselves and feel fulfilled. This is probably another side effect of increased dopamine and oxytocin levels.
6. Physical Health
Love can increase our heart rate and give us butterflies. It can even knot up our stomach, cause dilated pupils, make our palms sweat, or even make it difficult to communicate. It also causes us to have the desire to touch one another in ways such as holding hands or hugging.
In addition, sex is a physical act of love that has a number of great benefits. Regular sexual activity can lower our blood pressure. Women may find that they have better bladder control. It can even reduce stress and provide more restful sleep. These positive effects of sex can positively impact our relationships and other aspects of our lives.
How Does Falling Out of Love Affect Your Health?
Falling out of love is painful and can also impact our health in a negative way. Having a broken heart can affect physical, mental, and emotional health in a number of ways. It causes stress and anxiety.
Some experts believe that a broken heart can actually be physically harmful enough to cause death. This may be the explanation for spouses dying days or even hours apart. However, it is only temporary, and even after a long, secure love your mood and health will improve.
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Final Thoughts on the Health Benefits of Love
Love can provide us with safety, security, and a bond that lasts for eternity. However, it can also give us a boost in dopamine and oxytocin. These chemicals can improve our mood and lower our stress levels.
This may even cause us to live longer. Love can be a wonderful experience and a shared bond with another person can make a life fulfilling and happy.
About the Author
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
Can you think of any other ways being in love positively impacts our mental health? Share below!
I’m a freelance journalist/writer/content marketer with BA Hons in Journalism.
