Adding Sparkle to Your Fourth: The health benefits of being in love
There are numerous songs about the benefits of love but nowhere is that more measured or proven than in the medical field. Humans are wired for connection and, although a fling may make you feel younger and alive, it has nothing on the mental and physical benefits that come with love. In fact, there is not a medication, gadget, or food that can compare to what a healthy, committed relationship can do for your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. If you’re looking for additional sparkle on Independence Day, be grateful for the love in your life. Here are a few reasons to thank your partner for their continual love and commitment to your relationship:
Thank your partner for lower rates of depression and substance abuse. Marriage also contributes to reduced rates of excessive drinking, especially amongst younger people.
Thank your partner for lower rates of anxiety. Anxiety is real, but married individuals experience less than people who are unmarried. The bonding hormone, oxytocin, is activated more in couples which lowers anxiety.
Thank your spouse for lower blood pressure (if the blood pressure is stress-related). For the most part, having a committed partner helps people cope with stress easier.
Thank your partner for faster healing and more resistance to catching colds. Researchers hypothesize a stronger immune system is due to feeling loved, safe, and less stressed.
Thank your partner for a longer and happier life. Research indicates that married people live longer. One of the largest studies examined mortality over an eight-year period and found that unmarried individuals were 58% more likely to die early than (happily) married individuals. Married individuals also rated their happiness and quality of life higher than unmarried individuals.
The power of being in a relationship where you feel loved, supported, and appreciated trumps all the money in the world. If your marriage isn’t all you want it to be, get busy; adjust your expectations, ask what you can do to help, and then follow through and do it. If you have someone who loves you, you have it all! Have a happy and healthy Independence Day!