Mood:  amorous

Have you ever wondered if love can affect your personal health and well being? The answer is "Yes!" Studies have shown that a relationship with a balanced foundation and a strong healthy partnership helps us avoid illness, pursue healthier habits and live a longer happier life. Unhealthy relationships are breeding grounds of stress, causing our immune system to weaken. There are so many contributing factors to consider when it comes to our love life and health. The behavior we conduct with each other, as well as habits we may pass on, are factors to consider.

Whether you happen to be dating casually, hooking up, in an open relationship or married monogamously, keep in mind there are ways that your romantic bonds may influence your mind and body:

Weight Gain

It is a common belief that couples "let themselves go" after settling down with a partner. According to a 2012 review, people do tend to put on weight as they settle into marriage and loose weight when a marriage or partnership ends. Other studies have shown quite the opposite. A couple that is genuinely happy can motivate each other to stay healthy and fit. They can go to the gym together, set goals and take responsibility for each other as a unit. When couples do pack on the pounds, it may be a symptom of conflict in the relationship. Dissatisfaction in our love life can lead to passive-aggressive eating habits and sleep problems, which can contribute to weight gain.

Stress

One of the best stress reducers is, you guessed it, sex! Physical intimacy helps reduce stress as well as boost overall well being. Sex is an important aspect in your relationship. However, your significant other's behavior outside the bedroom can easily send your stress level to the moon and back. Stressful behavior most commonly pertains to parenting disputes, disagreements over finances and chores in the household, all increasing your stress level.

Hormone Levels

University of North Carolina researchers found that men and women had higher amounts of our body's natural feel-good hormone called oxytocin after being physically touched such as by hugging or kissing. Women surprisingly had lower blood pressure and stress hormone cortisol post-hug. These kind gestures are more important than we know. A touch on the arm, holding hands or a soft touch to the shoulder all take a mere few seconds to stimulate our oxytocin levels that help overcome daily stress and anxiety. Love is a powerful thing working in mysterious ways. Evaluating your love life is definitely something to pay closer attention to for a healthier, longer life.

Learn more: naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 00:01 MEST

Updated: Tuesday, 6 May 2014 01:15 MEST

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Mood:  cheeky

Natalie and Iman meet with Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste and the orgasmic meditation method.* They are introduced to this powerful intimacy practice with a live demonstration that leaves Iman sweating and Natalie crying.

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 00:01 CET

Updated: Wednesday, 6 November 2013 01:46 CET

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Mood:  flirty

If you are feeling amorous but your partner would rather turn over and go to sleep, it might help to pass this information on.

Regular sex helps people look youthful for longer, an expert claims.

Dr David Weeks’s research shows that older men and women with an active love life look between five and seven years younger than their actual age.

Other British research has credited regular lovemaking with halving the odds of early death.

Dr Weeks, former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said that people of all ages should be aware of the benefits of a healthy love life.

The psychologist spent a decade quizzing thousands of men and women of all ages.

Those who looked younger than their age claimed to have sex an average 50 per cent more – in the 40-to-50 age group equating to three times a week rather than twice.

Dr Weeks says that the pleasure derived from sex is a ‘crucial factor’ in preserving youth.

Biology also plays a role, with sex releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

These act as natural painkillers, easing anxiety and making it easier to drop off to sleep.

Exercise boosts circulation, which is important for the heart and gives skin a healthy glow.

Human growth hormone is also released by lovemaking and can help keep the skin elastic and so less likely to wrinkle.

Sex can help burn fat and release substances which bolster the immune system, while simple stress relief can improve the quality of sleep.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 00:01 MEST

Updated: Sunday, 21 July 2013 02:08 MEST

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Mood:  mischievious

Some may think it is perverse, but enjoying the snap of the whip or the clink of chains on skin could make you more psychologically healthy than those who enjoy a more mundane sex life.

A study found that BDSM - bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism - enthusiasts scored better on a variety of personality and psychological tests compared to those who did not have sexual fetishes.

Experts say this is because those who enjoyed kinky sex were more extroverted, more open to new experiences and less neurotic.

Dr Andreas Wismeijer, a psychologist from Tilburg University, found that  BDSM practitioners ‘either did not differ from the general population and if they differed, they always differed in the more favourable direction’.

Dr Wismeijer and his fellow researchers asked BDSM fans to undergo a variety of psychological questionnaires online.

They also sought participants who did not do BDSM via a women's magazine website, a personal secret website and a university website.

Participants did not know what the surveys were about, other that they concerned ‘human behaviour’.

The results revealed that on a basic level, BDSM practitioners are no more troubled than the general population.

In fact they were more outgoing, more open to new experiences and more conscientious than less adventurous participants.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 00:01 MEST

Updated: Saturday, 8 June 2013 01:11 MEST

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Mood:  chatty

Listening to new music can boost the brain and give it a chemical 'reward' similar to sex, researchers have found.

Using MRI scans, Canadian scientists found that areas in the reward centre of the brain - the same part activated when we have sex or eat our favourite foods - became active when people heard a song for the first time.

The more the listener enjoyed what they were hearing, the stronger the connections were.

When people listen to a piece of music they have never heard before, activity in one brain region can reliably and consistently predict whether they will like or buy it, this is the nucleus accumbens which is involved in forming expectations that may be rewarding,' says Dr. Valorie Salimpoor of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, who led the study.

Participants in the study listened to 60 previously unheard music excerpts while undergoing functional resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, providing bids of how much they were willing to spend for each item in an auction.

The researcher say their findings show exactly why we find listening to new music rewarding.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 00:01 MEST

Updated: Tuesday, 23 April 2013 01:08 MEST

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Mood:  chatty

Partners in romantic relationships don't just share interests, habits and secrets, according to a pair of studies published in the journal Emotion and the International Journal of Psychophysiology. Researchers from the University of California, Davis and the University of Arizona found that even when seated several feet apart, couples synchronize their heart rates and breathing.

"We've seen a lot of research that one person in a relationship can experience what the other person is experiencing emotionally, but this study shows they also share experiences at a physiological level," researcher Emilio Ferrer said.

The study was funded by the National Science Foundation.

The researchers instructed members of 32 separate heterosexual couples to sit several feet apart from each other in a calm, quiet room without speaking or touching. All participants were hooked up to breathing and heart rate monitors.

The researchers found that both breathing and heart rate quickly synchronized between the two members of the couple. The same effect was seen when the participants were told to sit across from each other and attempt to mimic each other's actions, but still not permitted to touch or speak to each other. The researchers then repeated the experiment, this time mixing up the couples so that each person was paired with a stranger. No synchronization of breath or heart beat was seen.

Upon more closely analyzing the details of how the breathing and heart rate of each participant changed over time, the researchers found that women's respiration and heart beats tended to adjust more dramatically than men's.

"In other words, we found that women adjust in relationship to their partners," lead author Jonathan Helm said. "Her heart rate is linked to her partner's. I think it means women have a strong link to their partners - perhaps more empathy."

Supporting this conclusion, the researchers found that the women in the couples were significantly more likely to adjust their day-to-day emotional experiences to match their partners' than the other way around.

The power of social bonds

The researchers do not yet know how or why couples synchronize their breathing and heart beats, but it is possible that this phenomenon might in some way be linked to the well-established finding that people in stable, romantic partnerships are healthier and live longer. The researchers are now planning another study to determine whether the observed synchronization has any health benefits.

Synchronized heart rates are not just found in romantic partners, however. A recent study conducted by researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark and published in the journal PNAS found that when people watched a friend or relative of theirs walk across hot coals, the observer's heart beat sped up at the exact same moment as their friend or relative's.

These studies suggest that social bonds can have profound physiological effects on our bodies and health.

"We can find markers of emotional connectedness in bodily measures as well," lead researcher Ivana Konvalinka said. "It's not just a cognitive effect.'

Article Source: naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Monday, 11 March 2013 02:06 MEST

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Mood:  happy

Almost everyone loves to be hugged - even those that pretend they don't. Hugging is an immediate way for us to bond with loved ones, and virtually every culture on Earth appreciates the feelings of well-being that arise from a warm physical embrace. According to a new study by scientists at the University of Vienna; however, hugs also have a positive effect on our long-term health - in fact, regularly embracing our loved ones can even lower our blood pressure and stress levels.

The Austrian scientists discovered that the important hormone, oxytocin, was secreted into the bloodstream when a person hugged, or was hugged by, a trusted person. Oxytocin is produced by the pituitary gland, and its release can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve our memory. Usually, the pituitary gland secretes oxytocin during times of intense bonding, such as when a mother is breastfeeding her child or when we are comforting our spouse.

Personal boundaries need to be respected
However, the scientists' findings were not one-dimensional. While embraces between loved ones increased oxytocin secretions into the bloodstream, embraces between strangers had the opposite effect.

"The positive effect only occurs [...] if the people trust each other, if the associated feelings are present mutually, and if the corresponding signals are sent out," said neurophysiologist and study leader, Jurgen Sandkuhler. "If people do not know each other, or if the hug is not desired by both parties, its effects are lost."

According to Sandkuler, this happens because oxytocin isn't released into the bloodstream if the hug is unwanted, or from a stranger. In fact, the adrenal-cortex 'stress' hormone, cortisol, is released instead.

"[Hugs by strangers] can lead to pure stress because our normal distance-keeping behaviour is disregarded. In these situations, we secrete the stress hormone cortisol," said Sandkuhler. "Hugging is good, but no matter how long or how often someone hugs, it is trust that's more important."

Sandkuhler now cautions people from hugging strangers, and encourages them to respect other people's private boundaries. He also discourages people from partaking in the Free Hugs Campaign, a growing social movement in the West that promotes the hugging of strangers on high streets and other public spaces.

"This violation of our normal distance-keeping behaviour is [...] generally perceived as disconcerting or even as threatening," he added.

About the author:

Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer from the United Kingdom whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft.

Learn more: naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Sunday, 24 February 2013 02:02 CET

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Mood:  cheeky

The same set of interpersonal skills that make a person a good romantic partner also make them a good parent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Bristol and published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, a journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).

SPSP, an organization of social and personality psychologists, promotes scientific research related to thought, behavior, emotions and social interactions.

Prior studies have examined the importance of various sets of social skills in romantic relationships, while others have examined the importance of those skills in parenting, but none have previously examined the relationship between the two.

"Our work is the first to look at romantic caregiving and parenting styles at the same time," lead author Abigail Millings said.

In the new study, researchers sought to determine whether there is a relationship between families in the way a person cares for their partner and the way they care for their children.

"We wanted to see how romantic relationships between parents might be associated with what kind of parents they are," Millings said.

The researchers evaluated 125 couples with children between the ages of seven and eight for their parenting styles, attachment to each other, and their caregiving responsiveness, which Millings defined as "capacity to be 'tuned in' to what the other person needs."

"In romantic relationships and in parenting, this might mean noticing when the other person has had a bad day, knowing how to cheer them up, and whether they even want cheering up," she said.

"[It's not] just about picking you up when you're down, it's also about being able to respond appropriately to the good stuff in life."

A shared skill set

The researchers found that for both fathers and mothers, a shared set of skills applies to both parenting and to romantic relationships.

"If you can do responsive caregiving, it seems that you can do it across different relationships," Millings said.

The way that person cared for their partners; however, had no effect on that partner's parenting behavior.

Millings noted that all the researchers found was a correlation between certain relationship traits, but that they do not know if having relationship skills actually causes someone to be a better parent.

"It might be the case that practicing being sensitive and responsive - for example, by really listening and by really thinking about the other person's perspective - to our partners will also help us to improve these skills with our kids," she said. "But we need to do more research to see whether the association can actually be used in this way."

Noting that even people without partners can have good relationships with their children, Millings said that the research team now plans to investigate the relationship between parenting and caregiving in other types of family structure.

They also plan to research whether strengthening caregiving responsiveness in one relationship will lead to improvements in other types of family relationships. If that is the case, they said, it could be possible to design self-help programs for relationship improvement.

Article Source: naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Saturday, 9 February 2013 01:05 CET

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Mood:  bright

New couples who jump into bed together on the first date do not last as long in relationships as those who wait a new study has revealed.

Using a sample of almost 11,000 unmarried people, Brigham Young University discovered a direct correlation between the length and strength of a partnership and the amount of time they took to have first have sex.

The study showed that those who waited to initiate sexual intimacy were found to have longer and more positive outcomes in their relationships while those who couldn't help themselves reported that their dalliances struggled to last more than two years.

'Results suggested that waiting to initiate sexual intimacy in unmarried relationships was generally associated with positive outcomes,' said the report authored published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

Read more : dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Friday, 4 January 2013 02:09 CET

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Mood:  cheeky

Why do straight men devote so much headspace to those big, bulbous bags of fat drooping from women's chests? Scientists have never satisfactorily explained men's curious breast fixation, but now, a neuroscientist has struck upon an explanation that he says "just makes a lot of sense."

Larry Young, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University who studies the neurological basis of complex social behaviors, thinks human evolution has harnessed an ancient neural circuit that originally evolved to strengthen the mother-infant bond during breast-feeding, and now uses this brain circuitry to strengthen the bond between couples as well. The result? Men, like babies, love breasts.

Full Story from lifeslittlemysteries.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Thursday, 18 October 2012 02:05 MEST

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