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Dec 29, 2023 · Key points. Love is not consistent or predictable. Stress can overload the emotional, intellectual, and physical capacity of a person to love. During hard times, love can still endure...
- Why Love is Good For Well-Being
It means that love is wanting another person to be happy and...
- Why Love is Good For Well-Being
Aug 1, 2024 · Love is confusing. People in the U.S. Google the word “love” about 1.2 million times a month. Roughly a quarter of those searches ask “what is love” or request a “definition of love.” What is all this confusion about? Neuroscience tells us that love is caused by certain chemicals in the brain.
Jul 29, 2024 · What makes a relationship last when feelings fade or circumstances change? Can you force yourself to love someone you hate or don’t care about?
- Overview
- Your brain on love
- Love’s effects on your body
- What about negative effects?
- The bottom line
There’s no denying that love can do a number on you, whether you’re head over heels, stuck on someone, or completely swept away.
You don’t need to do much more than pick up a book or turn on the radio or TV to hear about love’s effects.
Even the oldest written love song discovered to date has something to add: “You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you,” reads the translation of “The Love Song for Shu-Sin,” which dates to approximately 2000 B.C.
More modern media examples, including romantic comedies and sentimental tales of soul mates, can sometimes be a little hard to swallow, especially if Cupid’s arrows don’t strike you quite that hard.
But if you’ve been in love yourself, you’ll know the occasional exaggerations don’t entirely miss the mark.
Many people describe love as something you just have to learn to recognize when it happens. If you need a little help in that department, here are 15 telltale effects to look for.
When you think of love, your heart might be the first organ that comes to mind.
While terms like “thinking with your heart,” “you’re in my heart,” and “heartbroken” make this pretty understandable, you really have your brain to thank — that’s where it all goes down.
The brain changes triggered by love certainly affect your mood and behavior when these feelings are new, but some effects linger long past the first blush of love, continuing to strengthen your commitment over time.
Here’s a look at some of the major effects.
Boosted passion
Falling in love can make you feel pretty lustful. What makes you want to get it on all the time? Another set of hormones comes into play here. Androgens, a group of hormones that includes testosterone, increase your desire for sex with the person you love. Having sex also boosts production of these hormones, which can lead to a cycle that’s also reinforced by the release of oxytocin and dopamine. Sex with your partner feels great and increases closeness, so it’s perfectly normal to want more. No harm in that — sex offers plenty of health benefits.
Improved physical health
Love, particularly love that develops into a committed relationship, can have a positive impact on overall health. A few of these benefits include: •decreased risk of heart disease •lower blood pressure •improved immune health •faster recovery from illness
Longer life span
A loving relationship could help you have a longer life. Research from 2011 reviewed 95 articles that compared the death rate for single people to the death rate for people who were married or lived with partners. The review authors found evidence to suggest that single people had a much higher risk for early death: 24 percent, according to some of the studies they looked at. A 2012 study of 225 adults who had coronary artery bypass grafting also found evidence suggesting love can lead to a longer life. People who were married when they had the surgery were 2.5 times more likely to be still living 15 years later. High marital satisfaction increased this rate further: People who reported being highly satisfied in their marriage were 3.2 times more likely to be still living than those who were less satisfied.
Increased stress
In a long-term, committed relationship, stress tends to decrease over time. But when you first fall in love, your stress usually goes up. It makes sense; falling in love can feel like a pretty high-stakes situation, especially before you know how the other person feels. A little stress isn’t always a bad thing, since it can motivate you to pursue your love. If you can’t get anything done because you’re waiting anxiously for them to pick up the flirty conversation you had going the night before, though, you might have a bit of a problem.
Physical symptoms
Your body responds to the stress of love by producing norepinephrine and adrenaline, the same hormones your body releases when you face danger or other crises. These hormones can cause a range of physical symptoms, like that flip-flopping feeling in your stomach. “Butterflies” might sound nice, sure — until they make you feel like you need to throw up. When you see, or even just think of, the person you love, you feel tense and nervous. Your heart begins to race, your palms sweat, and your face flushes. You might feel a little shaky. Your words might seem to tumble out of nowhere. This can make you anxious and uncomfortable, even when there’s no one else you’d rather be talking to.
Sleep and appetite changes
Tossing and turning because you can’t get that special someone out of your head? Wondering how they feel about you? Maybe you’ve already discovered they feel the same way but don’t know when you’ll see them next. That’s just another type of agony. A nervous stomach can also keep you up and make it hard to eat. And when your thoughts fixate on love, food might seem completely unimportant. Rapidly changing hormone levels can certainly affect your appetite and ability to sleep, but eating well and making sure to get enough rest will help you feel more prepared to face whatever happens.
Most people agree love is more of a whole-body experience than a simple state of mind.
But while love can feel wonderful, it can also make you miserable, especially when your feelings go unrequited.
A therapist can always offer support when love distresses you more than it uplifts you.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
Jul 24, 2023 · It means that love is wanting another person to be happy and healthy. This is the characteristic that people most consistently say is central to the idea of love (Hegi &...
Mar 10, 2021 · Many people believe love is a powerful emotional state that is involuntary, that dominates our thoughts, and fills us with passion. But that particular state rarely endures long-term. People who...
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Love does come with positive and negative effects, but what is important is that we realize how critical love is and why we need it all the more today than ever before. Irrespective of the negative effects that it comes with, love is just something that we cannot all go without which is why it is up to each one of to go the extra mile to help ...
