Being in a relationship is not always sunshine and rainbows, but at the end of the day, it kind of pays off to go through less pleasant moments just to be able to reap the numerous benefits of love. When all is said and done, the reward of being in love is far greater than its downsides, not only from an emotional point of view but also from a physical one.
To help you understand just how good it is to love and be loved, we’ve compiled a list of certified facts about love that will brighten your day and make you cherish your significant other even more so than before. From being able to lower your stress levels to treating headaches and helping you live longer, here are 27 facts about love that will make you smile like never before.
1. Falling in love is like being high
You know that exhilaration and bliss you’re feeling when falling in love? That euphoria that makes you see the world in a different light? According to a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, you’re experiencing the same thing as if being high.
Feel-good hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin, and adrenaline are released when being in love but also when being on drugs. “The reason people are so attracted to cocaine is that it activates the area of the brain that makes you feel good,” researcher Arthur Aron, PhD, tells WebMD. “The same reward area is activated when people are experiencing the intense desire of romantic love.”
2. Hugging your partner can alleviate stress
Feeling stressed out? Guess what? The best medicine is love; more precisely, hugging the person you love. According to one study carried out by psychiatrists at the University of North Carolina, when two people hug each other, their levels of oxytocin, a stress‐buffering hormone in the brain that regulates the physiological effects of stress, increase. The higher the oxytocin levels, the lower the stress.
3. A happy heart is a healthy heart
Love’s effects can not only be seen on an emotional level but also on a physical one. Based on data collected from more than 3.5 million people nationwide, individuals in a loving relationship up to the age of 50 are at a 15 percent lower risk of suffering from vascular diseases, as opposed to divorced or single people.
4. Animals are also monogamous
Believe it or not, it’s not only people that engage in monogamous relationships but animals too. In fact, there are many species in the animal kingdom that mate for life, including beavers, otters, wolves, seahorses and even lizards.
Surprisingly, swans, which are the symbol of love and fidelity, do not practice monogamy.
5. Lovers’ hearts beat in synch
Couples not only share the same interests, passions, goals, and aspirations, but it seems they also have the same rhythm when it comes to their heartbeats. One study conducted by scientists at the University of California revealed that couples’ heart rates, breathing patterns, and brainwaves are in sync, especially when they touch and gaze into each other’s eyes but also during sleep.
The study involved 32 heterosexual couples who sat facing one another for three minutes. Researchers discovered that during that time, the lovers could sync their heart and respiratory rates. The closer the connection between the two partners, the higher the interpersonal synchronization. It seems two hearts can really beat as one when you are in love!
6. Love is the number one reason why people get married
Although many believe that love, marriage, and socioeconomic status go hand-in-hand, it seems there are still hopeless romantics out there. According to a 2013 survey by Research Center, about nine in ten Americans claimed they married for love. By contrast, only 28 percent of people cited claimed their reason to wed was financial stability. As Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said,” The first time you marry for love, the second for money, and the third for companionship.”
7. Remarriage is increasing in popularity
If at first, they don’t succeed, do people try, try again? It seems the answer is yes. Remarriage is not what it used to be. Maybe it was frowned upon in the past to divorce and remarry, especially when it came to women, but today, remarrying has become quite common and accepted in modern U.S. society.
According to a 2015 study, one in five marriages were second attempts for both the bride and groom. According to the same study, around 47 percent of cohabiting adults were married before, compared to only 13 percent in 1960.
8. Love addiction is scientifically real
“[Romantic love] is a very powerfully wonderful addiction when things are going well,” said Helen E. Fisher, a biological anthropologist at Rutgers University, during a 2006 TED Talk. That’s all due to the tons of feel-good and pleasure chemicals released by your brain when you’re in love. The feeling of euphoria and giddiness is so powerful that it becomes addictive.
9. Cuddling is good for your health
Just like hugging your significant other can help you feel better and less stressed, cuddling can also be good for your health in numerous ways. According to scientists, the simple act of cuddling can make you feel safe, cozy, and loved but also healthy.
Cuddling is a great way to boost your immune system due to the release of oxytocin but also alleviates pain, reduces social anxiety and lowers the risk of heart disease, according to one study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. When your heart is happy, it does not have to work overtime to fight the effects of stress and sickness. The happier you are, the healthier you’ll be and the longer you’ll live.
10. A loving relationship can positively shape your personality
Even the most cynical person on Earth can be influenced in a positive way by their life partner. That’s at least what researchers discovered in a study published in the Journal of Personality that involved monitoring 245 young couples over a nine-months period.
According to the study authors, the positive feelings and experiences brought by a happy relationship indirectly influenced anxious partners and increased their self-confidence and optimism levels.
11. Honesty helps build long-lasting relationships
Honesty can make or break a relationship. But when it comes to building a long-lasting one, honesty builds the foundation for trust and communication. Honesty gives you the freedom to be yourself and feel comfortable with the person next to you.
According to one study published in the journal Personal Relationships, the higher the degree of honesty in a relationship, the higher chances of having a long relationship.
Here’s the book you may be interested in!
12. Long-distance relationships might actually be stronger
Some might find it difficult to hold on to their long-distance relationships and travel back and forth to see their partner, but science agrees to disagree. According to one study published in the Journal of Communication not only can long-distance relationships work just as well as regular relationships, but distance can actually strengthen a relationship by maturing more and learning to trust your partner more.
“One of the greatest benefits is that you do a lot more talking and learning about each other since you spend more time having conversations than you might if you were sitting side-by-side watching Netflix, or out running errands or doing activities together,” says Lori Gottlieb, a psychotherapist who specializes in relationships.
13. Love and laughter go hand in hand
A stronger connection with your significant other can also be achieved through a very simple but enjoyable action: laughing. According to a study published in the journal Personal Relationships, couples who laugh together, stay together.
Laughing helps create stronger bonds and increases feelings of security and satisfaction in a relationship. If you want to know what couples will last the longest, look for the ones laughing their heads off.
14. Love can treat headaches
What better way to treat headaches than with love? If you want to alleviate your daily headaches, love is the best medicine, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Study participants with chronic headaches were given a nasal spray with a dose of oxytocin, aka the love hormone. After four hours, about 50 percent of the participants claimed the intensity of their headaches reduced by half while 27 percent reported no pain at all.
So, instead of using the headache excuse to avoid having sex, make love to get rid of it for good!
15. People find love in the most unexpected of places
The beauty of love is that you never know when you might come across it in the most surprising of places when you least expect it. In fact, there are hundreds of couples with stories of how they met, be it at the doctor’s office, while doing their grocery shopping, or all across the other side of the world.
For instance, one survey of more than 5,000 travelers carried out by HSBC revealed that almost one in 50 globetrotters have found the love of their life while on a flight.
16. Men fall in love faster than women
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not women who fall in love faster but men. Yes, it’s not the weaker gender but the stronger one. A recent study published in The Journal of Social Psychology found that men actually fall in love quicker than women, despite women being “assumed to be emotional; sometimes overly so, or rash,” psychologist Marissa Harrison.
According to the study, men say I love you way faster than women and there might a biological reason behind it. Another reason might be that women are more careful and guarded when it comes to giving their hearts away.
17. Being in love saves you money on medical appointments
Believe it or not, married people go to the doctor less often than their unmarried counterparts. At least that’s what the Health and Human Services Department reported after analyzing a series of studies regarding the health of married and unmarried couples.
“The best logic for this is that human beings have been crafted by evolution to live in closely knit social groups,” explained Harry Reis, PhD, co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. When this is not possible, for various reasons, one’s health condition starts to deteriorate one way or another.
18. Love helps you heal faster
When your loved one is there with you, supporting you every step of the way, especially when you’re feeling sick or injured, they give you more than emotional support.
According to researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center, partners can also give each other physical support and help each other heal faster. In an experiment performed by the researchers with married couples, the blister wounds that participants got during the physical activities required in the study, healed twice as fast when the partners had a strong relationship. The same could not be said about couples who were more hostile and aggressive towards one another.
19. Love lowers your blood pressure
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can lead to other serious medical problems like heart disease and stroke. But just like in many other cases, the best medicine, in this case, is love, according to a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Why? Because being in a loving relationship seems to regulate your blood pressure and keep it within optimum parameters.
If keeping you healthy is not reason enough to thank your spouse every time you see them, I don’t know what is!
20. Love develops in stages
According to Harvard researchers, love has various stages of intensity. Some people know from the very first moment they lay their eyes on their love interest that they want to be together for the long term, but most of us go to several phases of romantic love.
From being an obsession to gradually becoming a mature love, here are the 5 Main Stages of a Relationship Every Couple Goes Through.
21. You become more empathetic and in sync with your emotions
If you’ve ever been in love, you know how the loved person makes you feel. Happy, content with your life and wholeheartedly determined to become the best version of yourself. For you and your significant other.
That’s a normal response triggered by a part of your brain responsible for processing feelings and emotions, as explained in one study published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. You become more empathetic, selfless, more open about who you are and better at managing your feelings.
22. The world’s longest marriage lasted for 86 years
If someone ever tries to convince you that there’s no such thing as true love, ask them to do a quick Google search for Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher. That’ll shut them up.
According to Guinness World Records, in February 2011 they became the couple with the longest marriage ever – 86 years and 290 days, to be more exact. What was their secret to such a long-lasting union? As the couple explained at some point, “there’s no secret to our marriage—we just did what was needed for each other and our family.”
23. Love can also be found online
If you’ve been searching for love in all the right places but haven’t found it yet, don’t despair. You can try dating sites. They are quite popular, and convenient and offer extensive access to hundreds of profiles. To convince you that online dating is quite efficient, a 2020 survey conducted by Pew Research revealed that 12 percent of Americans found their life partner on a dating site such as Match.com or OkCupid.
However, as convenient and easy as online dating may be, there are some things you should refrain from doing.
24. Love and lust affect different areas of the brain
If you’re dreaming of turning a one-night stand into a long-lasting love story, don’t get your hopes up. At least, that’s what researchers recommend. That’s because according to various studies, a one-night stand is based on pure lust while a long-term relationship is generally based on love. Love and lust trigger different parts of the brain, with love being associated with empathy and selflessness and lust with motivation and reward.
25. Love helps you live longer
Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. But they also go together with being healthier and living longer. As explained in a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, married people were at a lower risk of dying over an eight-year period, with 58 percent fewer chances of kicking the bucket than their unmarried counterparts. It seems that “Till death do us part” is a long way to go.
26. Compassion changes your brain chemistry
According to a study published in Psychology Today, “mindfulness and compassion meditations increase activity in brain centers connected with empathy and positive emotions, decrease activation of our fear centers, and make our brains more interconnected—a trait associated with the secure attachment pattern.” This means that being compassionate towards your significant other will help you understand them better and build a stronger connection between the two of you.
27. Kissing has a biological importance
As a famous song was saying, it’s in his kiss. This has also been confirmed by a study published in the journal Arch Sex Behavior. According to the research, by kissing, men and women are trying to determine if the other person is the right one for them, with women attaching greater importance to it.
In addition, kissing is also an important activity in long-term relationships, creating a stronger connection between the partners.
You may also like 5 Ways To Rekindle Your Relationship.
