Within a fifth of a second after you’ve been captivated by someone else, brain activity begins to change.

Do you know? Love can also affect our ability to fight infection.
According to foreign media reports, falling in love not only makes the world look better, but also greatly affects your health. Numerous new studies have found that love can help improve conditions such as high blood pressure, pain, allergic reactions, and more.

According to researchers at West Virginia University, falling in love is the result of 12 brain regions working together. Within a fifth of a second after you’ve been captivated by someone else, brain activity begins to change. The brain releases a range of chemicals, such as dopamine, which regulates emotional responses, and oxytocin, the “hugging hormone” that triggers feelings of trust and reduces anxiety.

This may help explain why people in relationships tend to have lower blood pressure. Scientists believe that hormones released when touched may be involved, as pressure concentrated on the skin can be transmitted to the brain via the vagus nerve. One theory is that when the vagus nerve is stimulated, it increases the secretion of oxytocin.

“Major events in life, such as falling in love, etc., can have significant physical and emotional effects,” explains Professor Sir Cary Cooper, a professor at the University of Manchester. “The immune system, hormones and other Factors may all be involved.”

Love can also affect our ability to fight infection. The study of 50 female subjects found that those who fell in love in the first two years of the study had certain genetic changes that led to higher levels of antiviral substances in their bodies. The researchers believe that changes in dopamine levels, which link the nervous system to the immune system, may play a role in this change.

Love can also improve pain tolerance. Researchers at Stanford University used brain scans to analyze how subjects responded to pain as they viewed different photos (the experiments used hot probes). It was found that when subjects saw pictures of their loved ones, self-reported pain levels were reduced by 40 percent. And seeing ordinary acquaintance photos does not have this kind of reaction.

Just seeing your lover may boost dopamine, like a natural pain reliever. “If a patient’s symptoms suddenly improved significantly, and a new romantic relationship has just started, the effect may not be related to the drug,” the researchers noted in the report, published in 2010.

Kissing also has many benefits. A 2006 study found that kissing for 30 minutes was effective in reducing histamine secretion. Histamine is a substance secreted when exposed to an allergen that triggers allergy symptoms.

In addition, the couples who kissed the most also had the lowest cholesterol levels. A 2013 study asked couples to increase their kissing time for six weeks and found that their cholesterol levels improved.

One theory is that kissing may result in an exchange of sebum, which reduces the secretion of the “stress hormone” cortisol and lowers cholesterol levels. In addition, when you hug a loved one, oxytocin levels in the body rise, which reduces blood pressure and heart rate. Another study conducted by the University of California showed that people who are often hugged by their partners are also more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.