9 Proven Ways Being In Love Makes You Gorgeous
Here's how love is transforming you into your healthiest, hottest self.
Look Studio / Shutterstock Being in love affects a lot more than our mood — loving relationships improve our looks and our health, too. In fact, love may just be the best medicine out there.
Just how powerful is love? Your strong relationship can do everything from lowering your blood pressure to helping you recover from cancer. It even keeps your skin healthy! And, it's not just romantic relationships that are responsible for your awesome well-being. Your close friendships and parental love are keeping you in tip-top shape, too.
Once again, we're reminded how important loving relationships are — so much that your life could depend on them.
Here's how love is making you happier, healthier, and hotter than ever before:
1. Being in love makes it easier to ditch destructive habits.
Making a big change in your life is never easy, whether you're changing your diet drastically or finally starting to hit the gym. But, when you're in a relationship, your partner has a great influence on your confidence and the choices you make to lead a better lifestyle.
Research shows that couples in love can greatly affect each other's healthy choices — whether you're quitting smoking or getting a flu shot. The study showed that when one partner gave up alcohol, the other was five times more likely to stop drinking.
2. People in love have lower stress levels and are in better moods.
While we all know that sex is a huge stress-buster, it's not the only form of physical contact that's good for your mental well-being. Hugging, cuddling, and touching can put you in better spirits and help you relax. A University of North Carolina study discovered that when couples hug, they have higher levels of oxytocin — the bonding hormone that relieves stress and improves mood.
In another study, researchers looked at cohabiting couples and tested for the stress hormone cortisol before, during, and after being separated for 4 to 7 days. Researchers found that when the couples were separated physically, they had higher cortisol levels and had worse sleep than when they were together.
And it's not just romantic love either that's keeping you well-balanced. One study shows that a mother's love can counteract negative health effects and protect young kids from the physiological effects of stress.
3. Being in a good relationship lowers your heart attack risk.
Love doesn't just make your heart go pitter-patter, it protects it, too. In a Harvard study, researchers discovered that married men who felt loved by their wives experienced 50 percent fewer heart issues, despite having high-risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Strong bonds aren't keeping men's hearts strong. A study from the University of Pittsburgh found that women in happy marriages have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those in high-stress ones. Love really is good for your heart.
4. Love makes you live longer.
The secret to a longer life? Love just may be it. A study done by UCLA researchers found that unmarried people had a "significantly higher" death rate than married couples who live together.
Although you could argue that this is because couples influence each other's lifestyle choices, but Harvard University researchers also found that married women are 20 percent less likely than single women to die of stress-related causes like heart disease, suicide, and cirrhosis of the liver.
As for married men, they're 100 to 200 percent times less likely to die of these causes than single men are. Love is keeping us alive!
5. It lowers your blood pressure.
RELATED: 15 Signs You're In A Healthy Relationship That's Built To Last
Another reason love is good for your heart? Spending time with your partner lowers your blood pressure. A study by the State University of New York at Oswego found that when happy couples spend time together, it leads to a drop in blood pressure.
Loving relationships between close friends can also breed lower systolic numbers. In a study published in the Journal of Psychology and Aging, people with quality relationships reported drops in blood pressure compared to lonelier peers.
6. Love can help you cure cancer.
Not only do married couples have lower cancer rates than singles, but researchers at the University of Iowa also found that ovarian cancer patients with satisfying relationships had stronger white blood cells, which kill cancerous cells than those who didn't have healthy relationships.
Additionally, YourTango expert Carmelia Ray writes, "studies that show even patients who are diagnosed with cancer have recovered from cancer treatment faster when they had strong family connections. Also, those in loving partnerships recovered quicker or completely eliminated cancer with no scientific explanation other than the fact the patient had great love and support from close family and friends."
7. It makes you more athletic!
Staying longer at the gym? Beat your personal record on your last 10K? Your boyfriend could be the one to thank for your increased energy and fitness abilities. Researchers at California State University at San Bernadino discovered that loving relationships boost athletic performance, especially for those in a long-term relationship.
And it makes sense too, in committed relationships, you're supported, motivated, and feel confident. That's worthy of a gold medal all on its own.
8. Love helps you lose weight.
Forget the juice cleanse, being in love can help you keep that extra weight off. When we're in loving relationships, our bodies produce adrenaline, which can act as an appetite suppressant — meaning less junk food and late-night snacks. Additionally, with your partner's support for better lifestyle changes, it's likely you'll be motivated to hit the gym to look and feel your best.
And if that wasn't enough, sex also makes you hot! Get it on (*wink*) clears your skin, builds your immune system, and keeps you fit! WIN-WIN!
9. Being in love even makes you LOOK younger.
You're not just living longer when you're in love, you're looking the part too. You've heard of the sex glow, which can make you look seven years younger, but according to science, there's a love glow, too. With increasing blood flow to the skin, being in a happy relationship gives your skin cells nutrients and oxygen to make you look physically younger.
Michelle Toglia is the Deputy Lifestyle Editor at Bustle. Follow her on Twitter.