Love Is All You Need…For Health, Happiness, Connection, And Conquering Nearly All Of Life’s Ups And Downs

Love has been a central theme in art, music, film/theater, and literature for centuries…since the beginning of time, really. 

Why? 

Because this emotion, in all its forms, hits home for every person on the planet. 

Some have felt unwavering love for and/or from family members. 

Some have known romantic and even sacrificial love for a partner. 

Others have come to fully realize the benefit and need for self-love. 

We can even experience deep love for our friends. 

In fact, I’d say there’s rarely an area of life that love does not touch.

So then, it’s clear that love is a common emotion, even a relatable feeling for most people. 

But, do we really need love? 

Is love just something we feel, something we’re familiar with, or is it a basic necessity?

Of course, The Beatles have proclaimed that ‘all we need is love,’ but is this sentiment actually true? 

Could this single, although common, feeling be a crucial, even powerful, part of living a healthy lifestyle, or is love simply fodder for song lyrics, poem themes, and movie topics? 

It’s likely that your mind has already settled on an answer to our query, but let’s take some time to dig into the heart of this matter (pun intended), and see just how much the love we share between family, friends, partners, etc. matters…

Love Conquers All

Love can be a tricky subject as many people have a very personal idea of what love is and isn’t. 

Sometimes our experiences in life and relationships enhance our understanding of love, and unfortunately, some circumstances can also hinder our thoughts surrounding this emotion. 

So then, how can we accurately define love? 

Better yet, what do the love experts say?

In looking for the best way to get a common understanding of love, I’ve found that most refer to philosophers and even historians, those who’ve studied emotions and actions over the course of thousands of years.

It is said that Greek philosophers are credited with the most common understanding of love, dividing this emotion into 6 forms - familial, friendly, romantic, self, guest, and divine love. 

Still others find much reliable and relatable information regarding love in the Bible, with principles such as loving one’s neighbor and relying on love as an antidote to vices such as hatred and deception being central throughout scripture. 

Even the expression “love conquers all” is one of old, this statement originating with the Roman poet Virgil. 

Virgil expressed through rhyme and meter the notion “that there is no force in the world that cannot be overcome by love.” 

Sounds pretty powerful, right, as if love not only touches each and every one of our lives but potentially influences the very nature of our being as well. 

The thing is, you can actually take that an impactful step further, as love also influences our overall health and wellness! 

Relationships that are rooted in love, be it family, friends, partners, etc., bring a multitude of health benefits to the mind, body, and spirit. 

This is largely due to the way this emotion flows from connectivity, and that’s why romantic love alone is not where these benefits are found. 

Love is essentially a by-product in most relationships, a deep emotion or feeling birthed from care, kindness, trust, and support. 

And, when these things are present in any relationship, love grows, bringing positive impacts to your physical, mental, and emotional health along the way.

1- Love Reduces Stress And Anxiety

When you experience love in any relationship this reduces stress and anxiety. 

And, depending on the type of love you experience, this benefit may even be amplified. 

For instance, in the case of romantic love, oxytocin and vasopressin interact with dopamine to boost feelings of happiness, and these positive emotions then reduce stress levels.

Then, in any type of long-term relationship where both parties experience support, care, and love, anxiety symptoms also decrease. 

“MRI scans show that people in stable, long-term relationships exhibit greater activity in the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, while showing less activation in areas linked to anxiety.”  

And, when you’ve been in a loving, stable relationship for a long time (family, friends, and otherwise), cortisol levels also remain low, providing boosts to your immune system as well as serving to reduce stress.

2- Love Reduces Loneliness And Depression 

Support from family, friends, partners, etc. can bring great benefit to those battling depression, and when love is powerfully evident, this benefit is amplified. 

Love is often evidenced in the way a person shows support, especially emotional support. 
And, when you feel loved and supported, this breeds hope and helps you to better direct your days, even in troubled times. 

For those suffering from depression, loneliness and feelings of isolation are lessened when one feels loved and supported.

3- Love Heals

When we’re stressed and anxious our bodies don’t always function as intended. 

And, this is primarily due to the fact that your immune system can be greatly hindered when stress hormones are at high levels. 

However, when you show and receive care, support, and respect in a relationship, fostering connection and even love, these hormone levels can improve, allowing your body to focus on healing when needed. 

If you’ve ever known a loved one to suffer through great illness, then you likely witnessed a positive impact on healing when your loved one felt the support of friends and family. 
Some have even reported the comfort of a loyal pet to have similar positive effects on healing, making the power of feeling loved and cared for by any friend (human or animal) a truly remarkable thing!

4- Love Increases Your Lifespan

Research has proven that those people who are in long term stable, loving marriages tend to live longer. 

This benefit has also been seen in those people who may not be married, but still have strong, loving, social relationships. 

Most scientists attribute these findings to a reduction in stress levels, commonly seen in such relationships, but experiencing love in this way (regularly) also encourages healthy habits as you feel happier and more hopeful. 

Even better, having a strong, loving, emotional support system through such relationships has also been proven to reduce your risk of infections, some cancers, and heart attacks. 

Add all of this together and you end up with a longer, happier life, when true love is abundant.

5- Love Improves Sleep

That stress reduction benefit we mentioned earlier? This also translates to better sleep. 
This is, at least, the greatest association scientists have identified in those people with supportive, loving family, friends, or partners, etc. 

When love, support, or trust is absent in relationships, this often creates tension, but with love, those tensions often melt away, allowing for feelings of safety and calmness leading to restful sleep.

6- Love Boosts Lung Health 

The calm, ease, safety, and comfort you feel when truly loved by a friend, family member, or partner not only reduces stress levels, it also reduces inflammation. 

This is likely due to the release of oxytocin, which helps to boost immune functioning, and the ripple effects here lead to healthier lungs. 

It’s most often realized in illness, with the benefit of love in regards to lung health commonly evidenced in patients with pneumonia. 

“Compared to unmarried men and women, [happily] married people are less likely to require ventilator support via a breathing machine, have shorter hospital stays, are less likely to end up in an intensive care unit, and have a 13 percent lower risk of dying during hospitalization for pneumonia.”

7- Love Protects Your Heart

Love is commonly associated with the heart, and this is likely due to the numerous benefits this emotion brings to this organ. 

Cardiovascular disease is commonly linked to both stress and inflammation, and as we’ve seen throughout our discussion thus far, love conquers both of these health hinderers. 

For those experiencing stable, supportive, love in marriage, experts also believe this serves to improve functioning within your autonomic nervous system which is connected to heart rate, blood pressure, and other heart-related stress responses.

8- Love Strengthens Your Immune System

Those in loving relationships, with a strong support system “tend to recover more quickly from illness.”

How can this be? 

Well, the hormones we’ve mentioned throughout many of the benefits above, their release also serves to strengthen your immune system, allowing it to optimally fight infections and other illnesses. 

As a result, you are not only less susceptible to illness and infection but better equipped to deal with any illness that may occur.

How To Foster Love

We mentioned earlier that love is commonly fostered in relationships filled with care, kindness, trust, and support. 

And, we’ve clearly seen that the benefits of love in any relationship are vital to our health and wellbeing. 

But, how exactly can you foster love in your relationships…new and old? 

As we close out our discussion, let’s look at some simple attitudes and actions that can go a long way in cultivating a love that conquers all.

1- Authenticity

Be yourself - always. 

It’s tempting to put on a happy face when you’re feeling blue to ‘keep up appearances’ around others. 

It’s common for many to reply with ‘I’m fine’ even amongst friends. 
It’s becoming normal to hide your true laugh, dress to impress, drink socially just because, and on and on. 

The thing is, if you’re acting a certain way, a way that isn’t your true self, then this can impede love in a relationship. 

When you simply be yourself, you’ll attract those who will appreciate you for you, and vice versa. 

So, perhaps one of the simplest ways to open the door for connection, care, trust, and eventually love in a relationship is to simply be genuine…to just be you!

2- Communication

Communication is a key component of any relationship, but communication doesn’t only involve speaking. 

That’s right, communication is a two-way street, which means if we want to experience greater love in our relationships, we must not only effectively communicate our love, care, needs, and concerns, we must also listen. 

Actively listening and consistently communicating - these are simple things we can easily take for granted, but they are vital when fostering love in our friend, familial, and romantic relationships.

3- Respect

Respect and care or kindness often go hand in hand. 

You see, we’re never going to agree 100% with everyone we meet, and this includes friends, partners, family members, etc. 

If we all believed exactly the same way about every topic under the sun, if we all liked the same things, disliked the same things, etc. this world would be a boring place. 

Instead, we’re all unique - and that’s a good thing - a wonderful thing, really. 

And, you can foster love and connection in your relationships when you respect one another’s feelings, beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc. 

Overall, it’s actually not disagreements that destroy trust and respect, but how we respond within a disagreement. 

So, unless we’re referring to murder, violence, or serious deception, there’s almost always a way to agree to disagree, as I’ve commonly heard in adulthood.

In other words, seek to listen and understand, and if you still disagree, seek to be respectful, not allowing such small differences to frustrate the connection you have or could have.

4- Support

Support was mentioned a lot as we detailed the benefits of love in relationships. And, this aspect of love is often what makes us feel less lonely, less isolated, safer, and more calm. 

I suppose this is essentially due to the fact that supporting others is truly an act of love. 

Think about it, when a friend or loved one is hurting, supporting them by being there, lending an ear or helping hand, and showing them, genuine care and concern is truly a display of your love. 

And, when we feel/experience this consistently in a relationship, this fosters love.

5- Empathy

Empathy basically builds on each of the love-fostering items we’ve mentioned thus far. 
Involving nearly all of the points we’ve detailed above, empathy seeks to understand, respect, and support those we care about by essentially walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. 

Empathy is a true expression of love, as it involves a deep care for others, sharing their feelings and attempting to see the world through the eyes of another.

6- Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Coffee is commonly used as an occasion for connection. 

Whether you’re meeting an old friend, new friend, cousin you haven’t seen in ages, your spouse, or bestie, coming together over a cup of coffee provides one of the best platforms for heartfelt conversation, laughter, catching up, listening, understanding…you know, all of those things that foster love in a relationship. 

And, while coffee shops certainly provide an atmosphere conducive to these things, don’t count out simply having someone over for a cup as well. 

Of course, coffee can express or foster love in other ways within a relationship too. 

From buying your bestie a mug that makes you think of him/her, to knowing exactly how your spouse takes their coffee and preparing it for him/her to show you care, even sending the gift of coffee - each of these things (and more) can communicate care, concern, and love.

7- See Beauty, Speak Beauty

If I’m understanding this correctly, the above phrase ‘see beauty, speak beauty,’ simply focuses on the importance of appreciating beauty in the world we live in (in any form). 

But personally, I like to live out this phrase primarily with people, namely trying to always tell others when I’m thinking of them, when I’m thankful for them, to be sure to give compliments in abundance, to never forget the value of someone’s smile, etc. - basically speaking or communicating any beauty I see in others on a regular basis. 

And, when it comes to fostering love in a relationship, regularly speaking beauty in this manner can go a long way to emphasize care and support. 

When someone you love is going through a rough time, speak beauty into their life by showing support, telling them (and showing) you care. 

Always seek to be appreciative and grateful for your loved ones, expressing this freely and regularly. 

When you’re with loved ones, be careful not to withhold praise, always seeking to build one another up. 

Just as affirmations are powerful when we speak these words over our own lives, so is openly sharing care, support, and love to our family, friends, and partner. 

Then, to take this a step further, you can also turn the notion of “speaking beauty” into action, allowing your gratefulness, care, and love for such people in your life to be expressed through thoughtful gestures, small gifts, cards or notes of encouragement, etc.

8- Share Experiences

Life is best lived - together! 

And, spending time with loved ones is a wonderful, needed way to further foster the love you have for one another. 

We truly get to know people when we spend time together, especially seeking to do things our loved ones value and enjoy. 

Does your bestie love to go hiking? Plan to hike together. 

Does your spouse love to shop? Don’t solely send them out on solo missions, plan to go together to not only spend time together but also have a small chance to appreciate those things your loved one enjoys. 

And, what about you? Do you love trivia nights at your local coffee house or craft brewery? Plan to invite your loved ones to join in on the fun, providing not only an enjoyable evening, but a way for your friends/family to experience the things you love to do as well. 

Of course, you can also think outside the box and plan an evening with loved ones trying an entirely new experience. 

No matter what you plan to do, never forget that sharing experiences truly allows us to share life, connect, and grow in our love for one another - so, don’t count out the importance of this valuable time together.

Check out Lifeboost Coffee Grata Medium Roast.

References:

https://nationaltoday.com/love-conquers-all-day/

https://uthealthaustin.org/blog/health-benefits-of-love

https://healthc2u.com/ways-love-improves-your-health/#

https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2023/02/seven-reasons-why-loving-relationships-are-good-you

https://www.luminishealth.org/en/blog/love-relationships-and-health-the-surprising-benefits-of-being-in-love?language_content_entity=en#:~:text=

https://edelicahealth.com/can-being-in-a-relationship-cure-depression/#

https://extension.usu.edu/hru/blog/how-to-build-love-in-a-relationship-cultivating-deep-connection-and-trust

https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-connect-with-people