Hugs Help You Live Longer And 11 Facts About Romance [Video]

Scientifically speaking, what do we actually get from experiencing love and romance?

Scientists have long studied the phenomenon of love, while romance continues to be a topic of interest to psychologists who dedicate time and effort to analyze the mental and neurological underpinnings of affection. Besides getting that floating feeling of happiness and joy from watching rom-com flicks, romance may actually have some real-life benefits that can help us cope with different physical and mental encounters, according to some of the most groundbreaking results in the field.

The good guys from Buzzfeed recently made a viral video collecting some of the coolest romance facts available. Enjoy!

Let’s look at some of the most intriguing facts discussed in the video, like number one: Hugs may help you live longer. A University of North Carolina psychiatrist has discovered that giving or receiving hugs for at least 20 seconds resulted to a healthier cardiovascular system among married or cohabiting couples. So don’t be too stingy on that hug. It might just save your life!

Another fact discussed was that physical pain can actually be reduced simply by looking at loved ones’ pictures. The New York Times reported in 2009 about research conducted by University of California psychologists, wherein they discovered that women who looked at pictures of their boyfriends’ faces coped better with pain, compared to when they were asked to look at a stranger’s face.

One of the most intriguing facts presented was that 23 percent of those who actively used online dating applications ended up marrying their current spouses thanks to the internet.

The Pew Research Center confirms the numbers, saying, “Even today, the vast majority of Americans who are in a marriage, partnership, or other serious relationship say that they met their partner through offline—rather than online—means. At the same time, the proportion of Americans who say that they met their current partner online has doubled in the last eight years.”

Do you have some facts about love and romance you’d like to share with us? Tell us about them on the comments section below.

[Image from Doug8888/Flickr]