Cutting valentines, wrapping chocolates, or buying roses this Valentine’s Day?
Good for you, says LeAnn Thieman, author of 12 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, noting in her monthly “Sips of Soup” newsletter that a growing body of research suggests that love:
- Reduces stress: When we’re in a loving relationship, our adrenaline glands produce dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) hormone, a stress reducer.
- Promotes mental health: The calming effect of DHEA helps restore nerve growth, which improves memory recall. (Maybe I need to love even more!)
- Reduces pain: Love activates the pain control part of the brain.
- Fights cancer: Cancer patients with loving relationships develop more white blood cells, which help fight cancer.
- Lowers blood pressure: Happily married people have better blood pressures than singles or those unhappily married.
- Reduces heart diseases: People who express feelings of affection have significantly lower cholesterol levels, lowering risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Increases life span: Lack of love can cause social isolation which increases the risk of early death by nearly five times. Married people live longer, have shorter hospital stays and fewer doctor’s visits!
- Boosts immune system: People in love are less likely to get flu and cold viruses, plus their wounds heal faster.
- Keeps us young: DHEA also acts as an ‘anti-aging’ hormone, producing feelings of youth and vitality. Endorphins produced by a body in love increase blood flow to the skin, helping to reduce wrinkles.
- Blesses our spirits: All major religions extol the importance of loving God, our neighbors, and, yes, ourselves.
Want to hear more of what LeAnn has to say? Make plans now to join us at Women’s Fair for LeAnn’s keynote at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18.
