Love not only affects those in the brain, but it also biologically produces physical responses in the human body. When initially meeting someone you find attractive, your body initiates the fight or flight response, which can be explained as your cortisol level increases causing stress to go around your body but unlike the actual situations of stress, it begins with love. As mentioned in the CNN health article, “How your body reacts when you fall in love” by Lindsay Tigar, love has similar effects to drugs. “Researchers concluded that falling in love is much like the sensation of feeling addicted to drugs with the release of euphoria.” (Tigar 1). The stimulation and release of hormones initiate responses throughout the body. When on a first date and sweaty palms occur, the science behind it is due to the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine which “can lead to having a physical sensation of craving and the desire to focus your attention on that specific person,” (Tigar 3). Not only does oxytocin give you the unboundless feeling of unconditional love, but it also can increase your pain tolerance as well. Although the idea of an increase in stress/cortisol due to love may have a negative connotation, it gives benefits to the person. Some positive impacts on overall health are low blood pressure, decreased risk of heart disease, faster recovery from illness, and improved immune health. Those who feel supported by their partner are shown to maintain higher oxytocin levels and have an association with lower blood pressure (especially in women). In some cases, those who have heart problems can synchronize their heartbeats and if one of them is in pain, just the simple act of holding hands can synchronize their breathing and help the discomfort go away (Pawlowski).
Through this, the question continues: How does love benefit our lives and how does it negatively affect it as well?
Love can increase your life but also shorten it. With love, the longevity of it all can most likely be the biggest benefit from the idea itself. Love gives a variety of benefits to the human person. It increases circulation within the body and skin which physically lets the person look younger. In a study conducted in 2007 on marriages and longevity, they found that studies consistently showed that those in a married relationship were more likely to live longer and have better physical health than unmarried people. Throughout this study the statistics displayed that “the odds of mortality are 39 percent higher for widows than for married people, 27 percent higher for those divorced or separated, and 58 percent higher for the never married” (Wood 41). Although with love the links of longevity are certain, there also are links with a shortened life span. Taking back from the previous quote, “The odds of mortality are 39 percent higher for widows than for married people” (Wood 41). When one partner dies, the chances of the other dying increase. “According to the American Heart Association (AHA), broken heart syndrome, or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a reaction your heart has to a surge of stress hormones caused by an emotionally stressful event. Broken heart syndrome causes the heart to stop operating normally, resulting in heart failure”(UnityPoint Health 1). Women have an increased chance for this syndrome to occur as sudden intense chest pain begins to be stimulated by an emotionally stressful event such as a loved one dying. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is not the same thing as a heart attack as the broken heart syndrome’s results in an EKG vary from a heart attack, There also are no signs of clogged arteries or heart damage as well.
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