Love Quotes & Advice
Things That Happen To Our Body When We Fall in Love
If humans were unable to experience the beautiful and all-consuming sensation known as love, we would have never created some of the world’s most powerful art, music, poetry, or film. We’d also be missing out on one of the most profound facets of human existence. Falling in love can be scary, confusing, funny, and life-changing all at the same time. Although many of the physical effects of being in love with someone might be unique to you, scientists have been able to pinpoint certain neurological and physical explanations for some of the most common symptoms known to those who are lovesick: racing heartbeats, nervousness, obsessive focus, and others. The body reacts in specific ways during each stage of love based in brain chemistry and the release of various hormones. Your body’s physical response throughout the stages of love also depends on whether you are happy or dissatisfied in the romantic relationship. Your willingness to continue or break off the relationship is also influenced by these neurological factors. Many aspects of love are still a mystery to us, but there are universal effects that falling in love has on many people’s physical beings. Here are six things that can happen to your body when you fall in love.
What Happens To Your Body When You Fall In Love
1. You Might Experience Euphoria – When we are in love, we might feel euphoric at the prospect of spending time with our beloved. Just hearing their name or listening to a song that reminds you of them might make you feel excited. This happens to us because of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Just thinking about the things and people we love might be enough to release dopamine, which makes us excited and eager to see them. From the perspective of evolution, this feeling helped people choose the partner they would reproduce with.
2. It Can Reduce Your Blood Pressure – A 2007 study, The Effects of Marriage on Health: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence, published by the US Department of Health and Human Services observed the relationship between marriage, physical health, and how long people live. They found that married couples had lower blood pressure and they were at a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. An increase in blood pressure or hypertension can increase our risks for heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
3. It Can Strengthen Your Bones – Another study indicated that men who are in a supportive relationship have stronger bones. This fact left scientists wondering whether it’s a natural reaction, or whether it’s just the fact that men in relationships take better care of their health and will often have a better diet. Although the reason is unknown, the fact remains that your partner might have stronger bones because of you!
4. It Can Boost Passion – People in love might find themselves lusting after their partners a lot. It might be hard to keep your hands off of each other, but why does that happen? Hormones come into play here. Androgen, which is a group of hormones like testosterone, boost your desire for the partner whom you love. These hormones also increase when you’re intimate and it’s a cycle, which further gets fortified thanks to the release of oxytocin and dopamine. Physical intimacy with your partner can also have it’s own health benefits.
5. It Can Reduce Pain – The company PLoS ONE published a study in 2010 and found that when people in new romantic relationships were shown photos of their partners, their brain was reacting in the same way it would to reduce the feeling of pain. “When people are in this passionate, all-consuming phase of love, there are significant alterations in their mood that are impacting their experience of pain,” Dr. Sean Mackey, senior author of the study, told Stanford Medicine News Center.
6. Unrequited Love Could Make You Ill – If a relationship doesn’t go as planned, you’re likely to suffer from sleepless nights, body stress, and a lack of nutrients, which can weaken the immune system and put you at risk of getting sick. So, it’s not just regret that you experience when things don’t go as planned, your body will physically suffer too.
