Love is a powerful drug—so much so it can actually change your body chemistry.  And when it comes to fighting illnesses, loneliness or depression, love may be the most important medicine you receive.

“When people feel loved, they are lifted from a place of feeling defeated, depressed and disappointed,” says Angela Buttimer, a psychotherapist and facilitator at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont. “So it can definitely have a healing effect.”

The health benefits of love

Love heals all, and it can benefit your health by:

• Improving the immune system. When people feel loved, they tend to be happier and exude a spirit of positivity. Studies have shown that positive thinking and being optimistic can actually strengthen the immune system.

“I hear so often that the love shown to cancer patients from people they would least expect had such a humbling and uplifting effect on them that the patients believed it helped them with their healing journey,” Buttimer says.

• Lowering blood pressure. A study from the State University of New York at Oswego found that when people were with their spouses or partners, their blood pressure lowered slightly.

• Releasing feel-good hormones. Showing signs of affection, like hugging or touching, releases “feel-good” hormones like oxytocin, which can help reduce stress, improve gut health and decrease intestinal inflammation.

“Virginia Satir who is a family therapist, recommends that we need six hugs a day to survive and 12 hugs a day to thrive,” Buttimer says. “Hugging, touching and being touched is very important for people to feel like they are being cared for.”

Spreading love

There are many ways to spread love to others, but Buttimer says it’s important to know their love language. There are five love languages or ways to express love emotionally:

1. Verbal-emotional connection: Expressing affection through spoken affection or praise.
2. Gift giving: Giving a gift as a sign of love and affection.
3. Companionship: Giving someone your undivided attention.
4. Acts of service: Using your actions to show and receive love.
5. Physical affection: Holding hands or physically touching someone.

Cultivate an act of love by sending a note of gratitude to a loved one or spending some quality time with family and friends.

There’s no greater feeling than to know that you’re loved.

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