Partners... they can drive you nuts. All those wet towels on the floor and epic gift-giving fails, what’s a girl or boy to do? Try leaning over and giving them a huge hug because whether your partner realises it or not, by loving you and being loved in return, they’re doing your body and mind the world of good. Check out these 10 heart-warming health benefits. 

1. Love protects your heart

Give your heart to someone worthy and you can enjoy serious cardiovascular benefits – that’s the finding of several US studies. Research by the University of Pittsburgh found that women in strong marriages have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those in new or high-stress unions, while a study by the University of Rochester found that women who undergo open heart surgery while in a happy relationship are three times as likely to be alive 15 years later.  

2. Love makes you smarter

Although it can often lead you to do stupid things, love can also increase your brain health. The reason is that when you fall in love, it raises levels of nerve growth which helps restore the nervous system and improve memory by triggering the growth of new brain cells. A 2009 Swedish study also found that living as a couple decreases your risk of cognitive impairment. 

3. Love helps beat cancer

Good relationships can provide one more line of defence against the Big C, according to a study by the University of Iowa. It found that women with ovarian cancer who felt a strong sense of connection to others had more forceful “natural killer” cell activity – white cells that kill cancerous cells – at the tumour site than those who didn’t have such close bonds. 

4. Love improves your complexion

Ever noticed how people tend to glow when they fall in love? It’s not just because they’re fresh from an amorous session in the bedroom, but because all those wonderful love endorphins increase blood flow to the skin and counteract free-floating cortisol which often causes stress-induced acne. What’s more, a study by the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland also found that women who make love four times a week or more tend to look 10 years younger than their actual age – so get cracking!

5. Love reduces blood pressure

Of course, that dizzy feeling you get when you look at your partner could be from the “butterflies” in your tummy, but it’s most probably the lower blood pressure you’re enjoying since you paired up. According to a study by the University of North Carolina in the US, couples who spend plenty of time having regular and close physical contact – such as hugging and kissing – actively help to lower their blood pressure levels. 

6. Love lowers Cholesterol

Many of us tend to put on a few kilos in the first flushes of love but, remarkably, this period can have a positive effect on your cholesterol levels. A study in the journal Human Communication Research found that people who wrote about their feelings of love and affection for someone special in their life had significantly lower cholesterol levels than those who didn’t. Time to start writing those love letters...

7. Love improves quality of sleep

We may complain about snoring and doona-hogging, but sharing a bed can give you a better night’s sleep, according to research from the University of Utah. In the study, 34 couples were tested for the stress hormone cortisol before, during and after they were separated for several days. Results showed the couples were more stressed while separated, which affected their sleep quality.

9. Love helps guard against pain

Have you heard the saying “love is the drug”? It really could be according to research from Stanford University in the US, which found that feelings of intense love can relieve pain. The researchers studied the brain’s response to pain under three different conditions and discovered that looking at a picture of a loved one reduced moderate pain by 40 per cent and severe pain by 10 to 15 per cent compared to viewing a picture of an acquaintance. 

9. Love decreases your risk of mental illness

The benefits of love aren’t only limited to the physical – there are plenty of mental health benefits, too. A study by the University of Otago in New Zealand found that people who were in a relationship for five years or more were less likely to feel depressed and attempt suicide. Another US study, from The State University of New York, found that people in a loving, stable relationship were less likely to suffer from anxiety; other studies have had similar results, revealing that married people report lower levels of depression and general distress. 

10. Love lengthens your life

This is no surprise given all the other health benefits, but the research proves it. As part of The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, researchers at Flinders University looked at the social networks of 1477 people over the age of 70 for 10 years and found those with strong friendships lived longer than those who weren’t as social. This isn’t just because our mates make us happy, they concluded. Close friends also offer emotional support during tough times and can help influence positive lifestyle choices such as taking up exercise and not smoking,  adding valuable years to your total tally.