There is a great deal of research that confirms being happy in love also makes us healthy.
But not “just in love”; to reap significant health benefits we also, apparently, need to be married:
“Married individuals generally reported better mental and physical health than those in less committed relationships.” (Ref 2).
However, just being married is not enough! Being happily married is the most health promoting factor ever:
“Married individuals are healthier and live longer than those who are never married, divorced, or widowed. But not all marriages are equal: unhappy marriages provide fewer benefits than happy ones”. (Ref 3).
“Considerable evidence has linked the quality of the marital relationship to health outcomes ranging from intracellular signalling to mortality.”(Ref 1).
S0, if you are not married- perhaps, you should consider that option..?
If you are married, but are not very happy, please don’t despair! It might well be only temporary, and soon you’ll be happier than ever before, because marriage is a novel with many chapters:
“A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage”.
-Lorrie Moore
And if you are not sure at all what to do with your love life, please trust your heart- your brain does!
“The heart appeared to be sending meaningful messages to the brain that it not only understood, but also obeyed.” (Ref 4).
REFERENCES:
Ref 1.“Considerable evidence has linked the quality of the marital relationship to health outcomes ranging from intracellular signaling to mortality (Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2010). Marriage can protect and promote health by buffering stress reactivity and encouraging healthy behavior. However, closer relationships also facilitate stress transmission”.
Lovesick: How Couples’ Relationships Influence Health.
Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2017 Mar 16;13:421–443.
Authors: Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser 1, Stephanie J Wilson 2.
Ref 2.“Married individuals generally reported better mental and physical health than those in less committed relationships.”
Happy, healthy, and wedded? How the transition to marriage affects mental and physical health.
J Fam Psychol. 2021 Sep 2;36(4):608–617.
Authors: Huntington, C., Stanley, S. M., Doss, B. D., & Rhoades, G. K. (2022).
Ref 3.“Married individuals are healthier and live longer than those who are never married, divorced, or widowed. But not all marriages are equal: unhappy marriages provide fewer benefits than happy ones”.
Marital Happiness, Marital Status, Health, and Longevity.
Journal of Happiness Studies. June 2019. 20(1):1-23.
Authors: Elizabeth Lawrence; Richard G. Rogers; Anna Zajacova
Ref 4. “The heart appeared to be sending meaningful messages to the brain that it not only understood, but also obeyed.”
The Heart, Mind and Spirit. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Author: Professor Mohamed Omar Salem.