TruthBook Religious News Blog

by The Times-Picayune
Tuesday February 12, 2008,
Chris Bynum
Staff writer

There's plenty of proof that love is good for your health. But even if Valentine's Day suggests that a direct hit with Cupid's arrow is required, health experts say that love's physiological benefits are not limited to heady romance and passionate highs.

"When I say love, I mean a deep emotional connection as opposed to being in love, " says Dr. Mark Liponis, medical director of Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., and author of "Ultra-Longevity" (Little, Brown and Company, $25.99). "You can have a really deep emotional connection with friends, hobbies, children, pets, nature. We are social creatures. We have found that social interaction improves outcome."

Liponis points out one of the reasons people form or join support groups is to dissolve "negative emotions like anger, despair and anxiety." Such negativity, he says, can impact health adversely, elevating our levels of C-reactive protein, which weakens the immune system.

Love has been measured in blood tests, stress levels and psychological responses as scientists seek to measure love's impact on wellness. A Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2004 study indicated that married adults are less likely to be smokers or heavy drinkers and less likely to have sexually transmitted diseases. The same study concluded that a healthy marriage contains built-in stress reducers -- combined incomes translating to greater wealth over a lifetime, friends and family from both spouses serving as a ready support group, and a tendency toward more responsible behaviors.

Those who have experienced happy unions can attest to the intangibles that statistics don't always communicate. Local lawyer Orr Adams is one of those who has seen the benefits of a 22-year marriage.

"There's one obvious benefit: You have a partner to do things with, whether it's health-related, raising kids, working on the house, or learning to sail. Having someone there makes it more likely that you will do something and pursue it, " says Adams. "Some people are not shy at all, and they are willing to do things with people they don't know. But if you have a friend or spouse who will go with you, you get involved, and you stay involved."

Adams believes that stability is an important side effect of marriage, and that in turn has a positive effect on his overall quality of life.

"I am very much a creature of habit, and when I am in my comfort zone, I have more peace of mind and can go through the day with a greater sense of optimism, " he says.

Sean Johnson, founder of Wild Lotus Yoga Studio, has been conducting couples yoga classes for more than eight years. His observations corroborate what studies show.

"What I have witnessed in couples who have a healthy, loving relationship is that the love that exists in partnership radiates outward, illuminating other areas of life -- generating a positive, passionate and creative energy that is contagious, " he says. "What I see in these couples is that their love for each other gives them even more incentive to love and take good care of themselves individually."

Johnson says the value couples place on their relationship often translates into healthier spiritual, emotional and physical habits out of respect for their partners. "Partners believe in and support each other and are invested in each other's well-being."

There is, however, one documented negative health risk -- obesity -- that is greater among married people than singles.

The term "married" carries weight in other aspects of health.

"Those who live together may enjoy temporary health benefits, but they may not reap as high a benefit as those who take the plunge (and marry), " says Jack, citing the results of the CDC study.

While no one can dispute that unhealthy marriages carry negative side effects from stress to depression, there are some telltale signs early on as to how to steer the marriage in a healthy direction.

While Valentine's Day might feel like a doomsday barometer for singles who are currently not dating, Jack says the holiday should be put in its proper perspective.

"It's not a personal thing; it's a commercial holiday, " Jack says. "It's an opportunity for those in a relationship to recommit, but it is not a day for single people to beat up on themselves about past relationships. It is an opportunity to appreciate where they are in their journey."

Liponis sees love as much as an action as a feeling, an action that he says can be expressed multiple ways throughout the day. He suggests becoming an advocate -- putting any strong feelings of love or compassion in a positive direction, "whether it's animals, the environment or politics."

Working for your cause, whether as an advocate leading the charge or a volunteer living a passion, he says, is not only an expression of love, but provides a logical place to find a soul mate.

Labels: Chris Bynum, health, love, marriage, relationship, Valentines Day