Physical Signs of Love: Good or Bad Impact for Your Health?

Depending on what stage of love you are in, the highly-sought-after emotion can either boost or break down your health. This effect is due to the significant physical changes that love ushers in.

Physical symptoms of love:

The physical signs of falling in love are strikingly similar to that of a drug addiction. This is your brain on love: love releases a major dose of dopamine and adrenaline which makes you sweat and feel nervous and euphoric. Your heart begins to race, your appetite plummets, and one hit is never enough. (Check out our Infographic on how your body parts react on a date).

When you are in the throughs of new love, you cannot stop thinking about that special someone. The love-addled mind has been known to devote a whopping 80% of its waking moments engaged in thoughts about the object of its affection. It seems cupid’s arrow is mighty effective in dropping serotonin levels, and low serotonin levels are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. So you must be with him or her all the time to feed your fiending. Your eyes dilate, your heart races, your cheeks flush.

Why do people blush when in love?

Blushing signals to your love interest that you are attracted to them, or more accurately, aroused by them. The blood vessels in your face dilate upon arousal, leading to high color in your cheeks, full lips and sparkling eyes. It is no coincidence that we apply makeup to imitate these physical signs of love to appear more physically attractive to others- blush applied to the cheekbones, lipstick to make the lips look darker and fuller- these signs of attraction help attract a mate.

Effects of physical changes:

To put it bluntly, the intensity associated with those initial stages of love can wreak quite a bit of havoc on your health. The emotional roller coaster can stress your body’s systems, and losing sleep has never benefitted anybody. Your immunity is lowered, leaving you more susceptible to colds and sickness, and so much adrenaline coursing through your veins can send your blood pressure skyrocketing and stress your heart.

How relationships affect health:

The bad news for pleasure-seekers and adrenaline junkies is that the passion and ardor that comes with a new love doesn’t last forever. But this is good news for your health. Once that volatile falling-in-love stage blossoms into a relationship and the dust settle a bit, your body will follow suit. In fact, you may be able to make up for all of the stresses of falling in love with the benefits provided by a healthy relationship.

People in relationships enjoy ample benefits to their health. Scientists theorize that humans have evolved to live in loving relationships with others. Studies indicate that satisfying long-term relationships can improve heart health, lower stress levels, increase immune system function and boost physical and mental health. Those prone to depression have an easier time fighting it off than their single counterparts, and both partners benefit from a heightened sense of well-being and purpose.