Love is something that makes us human. It sounds cringy to say, but according to the latest science, it’s sort of true, at least from an evolutionary perspective.
Homo sapiens have developed romantic feelings as a way of encouraging them to pair together, which has made raising children and staying healthy and alive much more effortless. While managing family bonds required more brainpower, this only led to great teamwork and intelligence. So there you have it–the more you love, the wiser you become.
This is highly evident when it comes to online dating apps. For those looking for a long-term, one-on-one relationship, that’s one of the first things they state in their profile. You also know which casual dating apps to avoid, like Tinder, and which ones cater to finding true love, like eHarmony, Christian Cafe, and Christian Mingle.
Some animals couple up in manners similar to humans, but most are not monogamous. Love may be one of the missing components that helped humans evolve from apes to what we are now.
However, to persuade our “less-evolved ancestors” to share responsibilities, love needed to have some significant benefits, like the ones listed here. Here’s how to be healthy and happy when in love.
1. It Helps Keep You Fit
It’s a proven fact that couples who exercise and diet together stand a greater chance at a long-term relationship than those who go it alone. It makes perfect sense, right? After all, it’s more challenging to clean up your diet when your partner still consumes all your old favorite foods in front of you. Plus, when he feels your pain, he may be more supportive.
2. It Relieves Pain
When you’re hurt, you often run to the people close to you to find compassion and comfort. But if you’re separated from your partner, pulling up a picture of them can help ease the discomfort. According to a study in PLOS One, gazing at a picture of a person you’re in love with can alleviate pain by up to 40 percent. This is because looking at your partner’s image activates the reward centers inside your brain, which can trigger the release of natural opioids.
3. It Gives You Plenty of Energy
When you’re in love with someone, you’ll make any excuse to daydream all day about the object of your affection. And here’s a good reason for doing so: when you think about something you like, such as the love of your life, according to research, doing so will boost your energy.
In a recent study, participants had their blood glucose levels tested before and after they imagined their partners. They experienced a considerable boost approximately 10 and 25 minutes later. So, if you’re ever feeling sluggish after a big dinner or need a blast of energy before a strenuous workout, consider thinking about your partner.
4. Someone to Vent To
Let’s face it, the world can sometimes be a cruel place, so when we are going through a particularly challenging time in our lives, it’s good to have someone to talk to. Think about it; who’s the first person you go to when you have a bad day at work? Your significant other.
5. It Helps You Heal Quicker
Even if you have not-so-great times with your partner, it still has its benefits. Recently, a research study used suction cups to give married couples tiny blister wounds, then watched them argue. Those couples who worked out their issues in a more supportive and loving manner had a healthier immune response than more hostile couples. As a result, their wounds healed approximately 60 percent faster.
6. It Protects Your Heart
Spending quality time with your significant other can help lower your blood pressure, according to recent research in Psychosomatic Medicine. Additional research has indicated that happily married couples have a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who are single.
7. It Helps Reduce Stress
As much as we love to be in love, looking at other couples acting cute and cuddly can get kind of annoying, especially when we’re in a bad relationship or none at all.
However, seeing others being caring or affectionate to one another can actually slow down your brain’s flight-or-flight response to potentially damaging stimuli.
8. It Boosts Immunity
You might believe that cuddling with your partner, or even close friends, would increase your chances of getting sick. But it’s the exact opposite. Those hugs appear to trigger your body’s built-in self-defense mechanisms against germs. In a recent research from Carnegie Mellon University, people who reported hugging one another more often experienced less severe flu symptoms than their peers who cuddled less.
9. In General, It Makes You Feel Happier and Healthier
When you’re in love, you often view life through rose-colored glasses, including your well-being. Those in long-term relationships rate their physical and mental health as better than those who aren’t, one University of Missouri study determined.
10. It Helps You Live a Longer, More Productive Life
Married women and men have a 25 percent lower risk of early death than their single counterparts, according to a review of studies in the American Journal of Epidemiology. However, romantic love is just one way to lengthen your lifespan. Any kind of strong social support from family, friends, and other loved ones can also help reduce your risk of mortality.
How to Get Someone to Fall in Love with You
Do you want someone to fall in love with you? You’ve read the benefits of love, but unfortunately, you’re single–and not by choice. Check out these scientifically proven ways to find the partner of your dreams.
Usage of Body Language
One part of love is having a mutual attraction or desire for one another. One way you can encourage passion and appeal is by using body language. Doing things like making eye contact or gently touching them can not only boost feelings of closeness, but it can also increase desire.
For example, when you face someone as they’re speaking, you’re showing interest in them and what they have to say. If you’re telling a story, gently touching them on the hand or arm is another way to show them you’re interested in getting to know them better.
On the other hand, you’re demonstrating your disinterest when you keep someone at a distance, lack eye contact, and move away if they come closer to you.
Gradually Deepen Your Intimacy
When you love someone, you feel a deep sense of closeness and intimacy with them. So one surefire way to encourage that love between yourself and someone else is to gradually deepen the intimacy through shared vulnerability and by spending quality time together.
Interactions involving a gradual deepening of vulnerability in sharing and letting the person know you’re interested in them are effective methods to create a long-lasting and loving relationship.
Keep Your Sense of Identity
Typically, at the beginning of a relationship, we tend to want to be with our partner constantly. While spending quality time with your partner is good, it’s also essential you remain your own person, even when you’re in love. Doing so is especially important if you’re attempting to get an individual to fall in love with you. It’s also imperative in the long term as you try to get someone to fall back in love with you again.
Often, in long-term relationships, people lose their attraction to one another. It’s not because they are no longer physically attractive–it’s because the newness has worn off. This is why long-term significant others must stay committed to their interests, not only for their self-esteem and self-growth but to maintain a newfound curiosity within their partners.
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zones Together
There is nothing wrong with having comfortable date nights at home with a good move and some delicious takeout. However, when you experience new adventures together, it’s an excellent way to deepen your connection with an individual.
Every once in a while, try being spontaneous and do things on the edge. It’s not only exciting, but it helps you both bond together. This also indicates to the other person that you’re alluring, exciting, and enjoy taking risks.
Offer Small, Random Acts of Kindness
Everyone loves acts of kindness every once in a while, no matter how small they are. One easy thing you can do to remind an individual you love and care about them is to do little things that reflect how you feel periodically. It doesn’t have to be a grandiose act. It could be something like bringing them a cup of coffee in the morning or doing a chore they don’t like. These tiny acts of kindness make all the difference in a relationship because they will remind them why they chose to be in a relationship with you.
Don’t Force It
Along the same lines of being patient and not attempting to rush the process, understand that love is a force within itself and doesn’t require any forceable action on your part.
When you find yourself “trying’ to get someone to fall madly in love with you, you should ask yourself why? There are so many aspects of falling in love with an individual that you just can’t fake. If the love isn’t genuine, likely, it won’t last for too long.
If your interest seems like they aren’t falling in love with you, try to think why they’re not interested. Studies indicate that our desire for someone often increases when they’re almost available, almost in love, and almost interested, but they’re not fully there. In other words, don’t stop your world for your partner. Keep your own interest and don’t be at their every beck and call.
Learn to Be Patient
True love doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, so you must be patient as the two of you begin falling in love. Taking your time is a good thing because you can rely on things like old-fashioned courting to get to know one another on a more personal level.
When you hold back on sexual contact, it can deepen your connection because you’re not rushing. You’re allowing things to unfold organically. You want to enable the desire to build up between you and to let the passion go from a simmer to a boil.
Whether we’re talking about sex, how much quality time you spend together, or how fast you become emotionally intimate, the point is that there’s no need to push if the love has a good chance of becoming a long-term commitment.
Understand Your Partner’s Needs
Everyone wants to feel seen and understood by their partners, so one significant way to encourage someone to fall in love with you is by understanding and seeing them. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Whether it’s what they prefer in the bedroom or how they interact with you, knowing this in a person as much as possible will help you be there for them in a manner that honors their needs. In other words, become curious about how/when your partner feels best in your relationship, then get on board with that. Once you start to do that, they’ll do the same.
Final Thoughts
Being happy and in love isn’t all about emotional feelings–even though that’s nice. Studies indicate that when you love someone, you reap health benefits, so it’s a win-win for you. So, if you haven’t found The One, keep looking because they’re out there, and soon you’ll reap those same benefits.
