We’ve all heard the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine.” This wisdom actually comes from the Bible. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine.”  But did you know that love may be even better? In this Valentine’s Day season, this may be the most important message of all!

Makai Allbert, writing in The Epoch Times, tells us science continues to develop an increasingly nuanced and comprehensive understanding of love and its effects on the body.

In a seminal experiment published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers found that couples with warm and affectionate interactions healed 40 percent faster from minor blister wounds than those who argued or demonstrated hostility.

The study suggests that positive emotional states generated by loving relationships activate the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” system, which can reduce inflammation and accelerate cellular repair. By contrast, hostile relationships inhibited healing by 60 percent, likely because of elevated stress hormones such as cortisol.

Dr. Cynthia Thaik, a Harvard-trained cardiologist and medical director of Holistic Healing Heart Center, told The Epoch Times that love heals at a biochemical level by releasing oxytocin, a neuropeptide often called the “feel-good” or “love” hormone. According to Thaik, this hormone reduces stress and improves immune function.

Love naturally lessens feelings of pain. A Stanford University study exposed a group of participants to moderate levels of thermal pain while showing them photos of their romantic partners. This group reported significantly lower pain than those who were either shown a photo of an acquaintance or were given a task as a distraction—such as “think of as many sports as possible that do not use a ball.”

The heart is universally recognized as a symbol of love, and fittingly, love significantly affects the heart itself. A study that asked 10,000 men the question “Does your wife show you her love?” found that those who answered “yes” had a 50 percent lower rate of angina pectoris, or chest pains. This reduction was present even in men with high-risk factors such as high cholesterol and diabetes.

“Love heals the heart and inspires peace, harmony, and calmness,” said Thaik, who approaches heart health holistically. “In order to maintain a balanced and healthy physical heart, we must take care to feed the emotional heart.”

Indeed, love directly affects how your heart works. A study by Brooks Gump, endowed professor of public health at the Falk College at Syracuse University, showed that when people were around their spouses or partners, their blood pressure decreased. Interestingly, even if the relationship was not a particularly happy one, blood pressure still dropped.

Today, we have learned of the many positive effects of love on our health. Next post we will learn what happens in the absence of love.