Most Americans are celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll. That bodes well for their heart health, multiple experts say.
While phrases like “he has my heart” are metaphors, these experts note that being in love is also great for humans’ actual hearts. For example, have you ever felt your heart beat faster when you’re around someone you have a crush on?
“One theory on why love is good for your health is that blood pressure responds to calmness and peace,” explained Christopher Suhar, MD, a cardiologist and director of Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine. “If you’re in love, you’re calmer and more at peace, which could translate into lower blood pressure.”
Mikaela Frissell, a licensed clinical social worker at the University of Texas at Austin’s Musculoskeletal Institute and member of UT Health Austin’s Health Social Work care team, said that studies show happily married couples tend to have better blood pressure levels than unhappily married or single couples. She added that the light, fluttery feeling in the heart that accompanies feelings of love might actually be blood pressure dropping.
“Knowing you have someone to lean on during difficult times can significantly reduce stress levels,” Frissell said. “When stress is managed effectively, we see positive effects on both mental and physical health, including lower blood pressure and improved heart health.”
Feelings of emotional well being that come from love can also help reduce stress hormones and inflammation, she said. Those are two key factors that impact cardiovascular health.
According to the American Heart Association, imaging studies have shown that just viewing pictures of one’s romantic partner activates brain regions related to mood and pain regulation. It also said that thinking about a partner may boost energy by positively affecting blood glucose levels.
“You don’t have to be in a romantic relationship to experience a healthy, loving relationship built on care, trust, and support,” Frissell noted. Love can also come from relationships with friends and family.
Per the AP-NORC poll results, more than half of the 1,112 adults surveyed between Feb. 6 and Feb. 10 planned on celebrating Valentine’s Day with a romantic partner. A significant amount (40%) planned on celebrating with family, around 20% said they planned to celebrate with friends and 15% said they planned to celebrate in another way.
According to Scripps, love – and marriage in particular – might also help people recover if they do develop heart problems. The American Heart Association also noted that “considerable research confirms the health benefits of supportive relationships in general and marriage in particular.
“Men tend to gain more of a cardiovascular benefit from marriage than women do, but on a whole, marriage helps you live longer,” said Dr. Suhar. “It could be from having love in your life, or simply having someone there who has a vested interest in you and is taking care of you. Either way, married people recover better from a heart-related procedure than those who are single.”
Still, Scripps notes that any loving, supportive relationship can be a benefit to those recovering from cardiovascular surgery. Support was important for recovery and survival.
“Many surgeons counsel their patients about the importance of support after surgery,” Dr. Suhar said. “This support includes not only spouses, but close friends and family,” as well as pets.
Other health benefits related to love noted by UT Health Austin include: lowered anxiety, lowered stress, decreased depression, strengthened immunity and help managing pain. Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center noted that physical intimacy between partners can also clue people in to heart problems they didn’t know they had.
“For some people, the first time they feel chest pain is during intercourse,” the university explained. “This is considered ‘exertional’ chest pain and results from severe plaque buildup.”
There are risks to love or losing love. AP-NORC’s poll found that around 10% of Americans think that “stressful” is an accurate descriptor for Valentine’s Day, the annual celebration of love. Scripps also mentioned “broken heart syndrome,” also called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart condition can be dangerous and even fatal and is more common in women.
However, it seems that most evidence indicates that love is healthy. Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development (which has been tracking two groups of men since 1938) said in his “What makes a good life?” TED Talk that stable relationships at midlife are also a better predictor of being healthy and happy 30 years later than cholesterol levels.
“Good relationships keep us happier and healthier,” he said. “Period.”