10 Interesting Relationship Facts

Love is stronger than death..

Curious to learn some interesting relationship facts? Here are 10 good ones!

 Relationships have their ups and downs, and this comes from the complexity of romantic love. It might hurt or feel good, but we are what we are, so we do what we do. 

Falling in love is as old as humanity itself, and as you are about to see, it can be a very powerful emotion. This post lists 10 interesting relationship facts that you may or may not be aware of, to show you how love affects us all.
 

10 Interesting Relationships Facts 

1. Love Can Be Addictive 

Being in love makes you experience euphoria, excitement, joy, dependency, cravings, withdrawals, and many other symptoms that are generally associated with addiction. This often leads many to chase after those feelings again and again. 

According to this 2016 study, this behavior is naturally linked to the brain's dopamine reward system, which is activated by romantic love as much as by drug abuse. Dopamine is produced in an area of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and is released to create feelings of pleasure, reward, and motivation. 

Most drugs that humans abuse, such as nicotine, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and amphetamines, significantly increase the abusers' dopamine levels. So does being in love.

2. Kissing Relieves Headaches 

kissing has many benefits and this includes relief from headaches. When you kiss, hug, or cuddle with a loved one, your brain releases a cocktail of happy hormones to make you feel good. These include dopamine to make you feel euphoric, oxytocin to increase bonding, and serotonin to boost mood. 

Kissing also reduces your body's cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone that causes stress and high blood pressure. Lower levels of it reduce your blood pressure, which naturally eases your headaches and cramps.

3. Communication Is the Key To Healthy Relationships 

The ability to openly and honestly discuss issues with your partner is the key to a healthy relationship. All couples and relationships have their ups and downs, but talking about issues is what resolves conflicts by taking the guesswork out and avoiding misunderstandings. Communication also increases trust between the partners and brings both parties emotionally closer.

4. Longest Verified Marriage Is 86 Years 

The longest verified marriage between a man and his wife is 86 years and 290 days long. This marriage was between Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher from North Carolina, US, and is the current Guinness World Record holder for the longest marriage. There are also 88-year Indian and 90-year UK marriages which should be longer, but these could not be verified.

5. Couples Grow To Look Alike 

Many couples tend to look alike, and this similarity often increases with time, for good reasons. 

First, people are mostly biased in their mate selection, from race to social networks, and familiar faces. Secondly, people tend to choose partners that look similar to their parents. Thirdly, people often choose partners with similar body types.

 Then, there is the issue of empathic mimicry, which is the ability of a person to mimic the emotions of those around them. This study found that close couples often shared facial features through shared emotions, leading to similar wrinkles, facial muscles, and other aging patterns over time.

6. Love Looks You In The Face, Lust Looks At The Body 

Researchers have found that eye movements can tell a lot about a person's feelings towards you. Someone with romantic love feelings towards you will tend to look you in the face, while those with lustful feelings will fixate on the rest of your body.

7. The Average Crush Lasts 4 months 

Psychologists say the average crush lasts less than 4 months, and when you continue to get that feeling after so many months, then you are in love. A crush is a physical attraction, an infatuation, a person you lust after. Love is a deep feeling that doesn't fade.

8. The Wrong Music Can Ruin A Date 

Few things rouse our emotions like music. So, having a bad taste in music or playing the wrong song can create a lot of emotional problems. Music forms a part of our identity and creates a feeling of belonging, leading most people to love music styles that reflect their values. So, do your homework first.

9. King Henry VIII Started The Anglican Church To Get A Divorce 

The 16th century was a wild period in English history. King Henry VIII needed an heir, his wife was past child-bearing age, and most of her kids had died, leaving only Mary aka Bloody Mary. The King needed to divorce Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon to marry the young Anne Boleyn, who could give him an heir.

The pope refused him an annulment of the marriage, so Henry got the Arch Bishop of Canterbury to do it, leading to the breakaway of England from the Roman Catholic Church, the formation of the Church of England, and the countless bloody conflicts that would follow. You can check out King Henry VIII here and his six wives here.

10. Broken Hearts Are Real 

Yes, there is such a thing as broken heart syndrome. It is a temporary heart condition with sudden chest pain that leads many to believe they are getting a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome can be triggered by extreme emotional stress, as well as an illness or surgery. Up to 7% of cardiac hospital admissions are from broken heart syndrome, known as takotsubo in Japanese.

 Conclusion 

There you have it, our top 10 interesting relationship facts list. And by now, you should agree that love is a truly special phenomenon. An emotion, that is stronger than death.