Is It Healthy To Be In Love?

                                                                                                                             

Valentine's Day is coming up. Celebrated traditionally in many places on the 14th of February and, of course, commercialized like all the other special occasions or holidays in this world. You asked: what's the point of discussing this in a health and wellness site? So here it goes...


Love affects your health and well being. Most people
are aware of that or at least believed that love is good
for a person's emotional or mental health. Is there a 
more concrete basis for this belief or is it just the
effect of living in a society which encourages dating, 
being with partners, having a special someone, in short,
a "couple's world" mentality? 


In fact, studies conducted on how the brain works during
the period of being "in love" shows that the brain produces
more phenylethylalanine.(William Vayda's Psycho-Nutrition, 
chap. 12: The Chemistry of Love) 
This chemical is derived from phenylalanine which is used by 
the brain to make some neurotransmitters. No wonder people 
"in love" get the feeling of being on a "high!"


If that's the case, then, is it healthy to be in love?
Yes it is healthy like all good things are healthy for a 
person's well-being. But beware that a break up or an 
unreciprocated love can cause depression or withdrawal 
symptoms due to the brain producing less phenylethylalanine.
Perhaps, it is the natural order of our brain system but
too much pain or heartbreak is also very bad for a person's
overall health. You read or hear about suicidal love, crimes
of passion or people resorting to drug abuse due to emotional
wounds that are not healed. 


To be in love is one of the most beautiful state that a person
can experience. It can inspire and motivate a person. The
key is to strike a balance between love for another person
and love for one's self. If he or she makes you a better person,
chances are that he or she can contribute to you being a 
healthier person in the long run. On the other hand, an unhealthy
kind of being "in love" can be detrimental to your health
and well-being. 


Is It Healthy To Be In Love?
©Netalink (2012)