This Valentine’s Day, as with every year, the shops are full of hearts and flowers, and the internet is bombarding us with adverts for romantic getaways, meal deals, and ideas for ever more expensive ways to demonstrate our love for each other. And yet the statistics seem to suggest that we are failing at ‘love’. For the first time in a decade divorce rates went up in 2017, and loneliness has risen to near epidemic proportions.
Does this matter? Is love just a ‘four letter word’?
Research suggests that love and relationships are good for our health at an individual level. Relate and the think tank NPC reviewed evidence on the links between health and relationships and concluded that good relationships are linked to quicker recovery from illness, and may even prevent or slow deterioration of health conditions. A team of anaesthetists in the US found that even just looking at a photo of a loved one could reduce feelings of pain. Taking a slightly different slant, the NHS website suggests that sexual intercourse, as with any form of exercise, is good for your heart. They do however add the caveat that, as with any form of exercise, it is only beneficial if sufficiently vigorous. It is recommended that adults engage in at least 150 mins exercise a week, so the advice from the NHS is: “Unless you’re having 150 minutes of orgasms a week, try cycling, brisk walking or dancing.” They further suggest sex can reduce stress levels, may make you more able to fight off illness, and can make you feel healthier, whilst hugs can lower blood pressure and having a good friendship network is linked to longevity…..For the full blog please see the Cost of Living Blogsite.
