Being single has its own benefits, but being in a loving relationship has even more. Feeling butterflies in your belly is a feeling like no other that carries some visible positive effects on overall well-being. Sure, not everything is rosy all the time, there are strenuous and frustrating days, but overall, being in a stable relationship is a huge health boost. There are some obvious advantages in partnerships, like having someone to talk to and support you, but other benefits came as quite a surprise. Here are some tangible ones that will make your life easier and happier.
1. Increased dopamine
Initially, while love still equals lust, there is a flood of dopamine in our bodies. It’s a hormone that is naturally produced by our bodies and is responsible for feelings of pleasure, but it also affects memory, learning, and mood. This dopamine boost goes along with the testosterone rising in men, making a potent concoction of self-confidence and enjoyment. Of course, the body is not capable of sustaining this state for a long time, but it can last from several days to several weeks. As you can see, this falling in love can be great for health and mood.
2. Longer life
A rich social life and fulfilling relationship are the two most important ingredients for long life. In recent years, many studies have shown that people who are married or in a long-term commitment, are more likely to live longer, happier, and healthier. This is especially true for men, a bit less for women. In any case, being single brings depression, chemical, and hormonal disbalances.
Further, people who are “lone wolf” tend to suffer from a wide array of illnesses, and low quality of life. Which kind of makes sense – people with good social ties with their friends, family, and the overall community, are more likely not to feel lonely and depressed, and it will give them a chance to meet some with whom they will start a quality long-term relationship. So, get out there, whether you prefer meeting in person or online, through friends or a complete stranger – it doesn’t matter as long as you stay socially active and meet new people. Even though you feel geeky and isolated, meeting someone might not be so hard. Shy or socially unadjusted people might find that meeting someone online is a more relaxed environment that is less likely to put you into awkward situations. Check out this website for one of the most successful online dating stories.
3. Emotional support
Through the good times and the bad, having emotional support can make all the difference. To have someone to lean on can take at least some weight off of your shoulders, but it can actually have concrete effects on your physical health. People without a support network are more susceptible to diabetes, morbid obesity, and high blood pressure. Social outcasts are 50% more likely to suffer a heart attack and cardiovascular-related diseases. Receiving emotional support, especially in the older population, is proved to be a vital component of a healthy life. Further, women are enduring the fact of not being in the relationship more easily than men simply because they are more likely to develop multiple support systems throughout life, while men are usually solely counting on emotional support from their partners and are not likely to seek that from friends or distant family members.
Further, providing emotional support can have huge benefits for the elderly. The feeling of usefulness had a positive effect on lowering disabilities especially among senior citizens and prolonging their lifespan. Also, a very interesting result emerged from the studies of health benefits from emotional support – people who were willing to give support are 4 times more likely to receive it.
4. Stress
Stress is the trigger for many serious diseases like hypertension, stroke, various sorts of cancers, thyroid diseases, skin conditions, depression, anxiety, and many more. People who are in steady relationships show fewer signs of stress than their single counterparts. Sure, relationships can be stressful themselves sometimes, but that stress is more likely to be short-lived and less intense. A romantic couple will serve as a buffer to each other, making the stressful situation easier to handle and overcome. Further, two people are sympathetic to each other’s outside stress related to family or work environment and are mutually encouraging. Sharing responsibilities, or just simply venting sometimes is actually recommended by psychiatrists to take the edge off in some trying times.
5. Taking care of each other
This is one of the many practical advantages of being in a long-term strong relationship. Knowing that someone will always be there for you to love and support you (and to push your wheelchair), is priceless. It also has major mental health benefits like less chance of going into depression and anxiety. However, men and women are not created equal after all. Statistically, women are more likely to end up taking care of their partners than men.
6. Happiness
Yes, plain and simple – happiness. The truth is that the everyday stress takes away a bit from all that joy and people seem to forget that they are actually happy and thankful to have one another. When the golden years come, their children leave home, the work-related stress is gone, they are reminded again of what is it that kept them together for decades. And the answer is happiness. Strong, steady partnerships are the cornerstone of having a long happy life.
Happy feelings induce some real health benefits, like boosting your immune system, lowering blood pressure, reduce stress, and the risk of a heart attack. Being happy will definitely make you healthier in many ways. Obesity, the modern world’s most wide-spread disease, is tightly connected to feelings of sadness, agony, and disappointment. Feelings of loneliness and isolation can provoke overeating in the search for happiness and joy causing people to go into a downward spiral. Mental health is also affected causing low self-esteem, major clinical depression, and bipolar disorder. A vicious cycle is hard to break without the help of others, and emotional relationships are proven to be the backbone of a recovery process.
One study showed that a simple hug can significantly reduce the chances of illness. One hug can make all the difference in a person’s life, giving them support and the will to pull through life. Now, imagine the power of a healthy and happy relationship! It can, and did do wonders. In health and in sickness.