Being in love can have a real full-body effect. From giving you that extra spring in your step to helping you find a renewed sense of purpose – love feels good and, as it turns out, is good for your heart too!
Here, Henry Ford cardiologists share how love can promote better heart health.
The Positive Effects Love Has On Your Heart
The chemical changes your body undergoes when it is in love can play a big role in your heart health. But it goes beyond that. According to the Henry Ford Structural Heart team, love benefits the heart by:
- Making you happier. “I think falling in love has the potential to make people happier,” says Pedro Engel Gonzalez, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Henry Ford Health. “The data may not be very strong, but I do think it can help, and it has been associated with good heart outcomes.”
- Giving you a sense of purpose. The strong bond that we form with others when in love has the power to change our perspective on life. It creates that feeling of connection we humans seek out and helps fight loneliness. And it doesn’t have to be romantic love either! Love in general drives people to have more empathy, joy and sense of self-worth.
- Reducing cortisol/anxiety levels. Love helps boost your body’s feel-good hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. As a result, cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, decreases. “Love actually does lead to less anxiety,” says Tiberio Frisoli, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Henry Ford Health.
- Helping lower blood pressure. “If love means less anxiety, then it can lower your blood pressure too,” adds Dr. Frisoli. When the feel-good hormones of our body are released, they help to relax blood vessels and allow your heart rate to slow. Over time, these effects can help promote healthier blood pressure levels.
- Fostering a greater sense of health. Overall, being in love tends to give people a push for improved overall health. People in love tend to spend more time active and on the move. Additionally, having a better diet and leaving behind alcohol and smoking habits are other ways that your heart benefits from the love.
Love has wonderful effects on the heart, so it doesn’t hurt to try and fall in love – at the very least to help keep your heart in better shape!
Hear more about what our providers have to say about how being in love is good for your heart here.
