by: Tony Isaacs
(NaturalNews) Isn’t love grand? Besides being exciting and fulfilling, it also turns out that it is good for your health and longevity. Studies and experts agree: having a caring and loving relationship can lead to a healthier, happier and longer life. Traveling with a partner can make it that much better.
Experts agree that it takes a happy, calm and stable relationship to yield the best health benefits and they caution that an unhappy relationship can result in negative health consequences. When you do have a positive relationship, here are some of the many benefits according to experts and research:Stronger immune systemResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that people who exhibit positive emotions are less likely to get sick after exposure to cold or flu viruses
Faster healing
Ohio State University Medical Center researchers found that blister wounds healed nearly twice as fast in spouses who interacted warmly toward each other.
Better cardiovascular health
People with stable relationships also tend to have more stable blood pressure. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found happily married people had the best blood pressure, followed by singles. Unhappily married participants fared the worst.
Less depression and substance abuse
According to a Health and Human Services report, getting married and staying married reduces depression in both men and women. Marriage also contributes to a decline in heavy drinking and drug abuse, especially among young adults.
Longer life
A growing body of research indicates that married people live longer. One of the largest studies found that people who had never been married were 58 percent more likely to die than married people.
Note that though most studies have focused on marriage, other loving and caring relationships likely have the same benefits – for example, partners, parents, or friends. “There is solid evidence that people who participate in satisfying, long-term relationships fare better on a whole variety of health measures,” says Harry Reis, PhD, co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Human Relationships.