If we think about our history, our daydreams, gestures, drawings… there is no doubt that the heart is the organ of the love. She always has been.
But if this day of Valentine’s Day we carry our heart to the cardiologist and we ask him to show us where love is in the heart, what changes when we fall in love, how it alters or behaves… Will he have an answer?
We already know that, through history, philosophy, literature and all the arts have had no doubts and have placed love in the depths of the heart.
We did it as individual beings at the dawn of humanity, the Eastern philosophers did it with the location of the chakras and even the first Egyptians. And religions have also given the heart enough strength to be able to emanate “love.”
But today we are going to bring love to the cardiologist and Let’s get to know the relationship they have, their reactions… Let’s see if we understand the reason why we draw red hearts on Valentine’s cards.
Love, heart or brain?
Carlos Macaya, former president of the Spanish Heart Foundation and Professor of Cardiology at the Complutense University, quickly ends the doubt: “It is the brain, more than the heart, that influences love. Another thing is to talk about the “metaphorical heart,” which has been a symbol of love since the beginning of time.”
agree with him Stephanie Ortigue, neuropsychologist, professor and scientist at Syracuse University in New York (United States): “I would say that love resides in the brain, but the heart is also involved.”
The author of “The Neuroimage of Love” (meta-analysis published in the scientific journal Journal of Sexual Medicine), has confirmed with her research that there are up to twelve areas of the brain that come into play, releasing various chemical substances when we fall in love.
What’s more, this release of chemicals varies depending on the type of love we experience and even depending on the moment of the relationship we are in.
So where does that initial statement come from? Does the heart play a role in phenomena related to love or not?
The answer is yes.
It has been shown how our heart rate increases, for example, on a first date (130 beats per minute) or while kissing (from 60 to 140 beats per minute)
A very clear example of this is found when the heart accelerates its rhythm as a result of the generation of neurotransmitters in the brain.
It has been shown how our heart rate increases, for example, on a first date (130 beats per minute) or while kissing (from 60 to 140 beats per minute).
Love generates an increase in the number of our heartbeats and the brain releases dopamine, adrenaline, oxytocin and vasopressin… The key, then, is to determine what happens first. Knowing what is the key for our body to react in one way or another in
depending on what we feel.
“Do we fall in love because our brain starts working and that causes an increase in our heart rate and with it side effects in the stomach? Or does the increase in the number of heartbeats end up leading to everything else?”
To answer so many questions, Professor Ortigue’s team drew a brain map of love with which it is determined that it is this activation of our brain that ends up leading to the rest of the reactions of our body.
“This activation involves the release of chemical compounds that produce euphoria and feelings of satisfaction and happiness,” says Dr. Stephanie.
“When the brain begins to secrete substances related to joy, the heart does very well, the heart enjoys,” insists Doctor Macaya, who warns just the opposite when we get angry since “substances called catecholamines are poured into the bloodstream.” that subject the heart to unpleasant situations.”
These revelations confirm the relationship between good emotional health and a considerable reduction in the risk of heart disease is unquestionable.
The research, which was contrasted among 600 women between 30 and 65 years old, found an evident link between love suffering and the increased risk of suffering from heart-related problems.
The cardiovascular risks of love
How many times have you heard or said the expression “You broke his heart”? It is more real than we could believe.
According to him study “Marital Stress Worsens Prognosis in Women With Coronary Heart Disease”, carried out by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholmin Sweden, it is confirmed that an environment in which love problems abound is detrimental to the cardiovascular health.
The research, which was contrasted among 600 women between 30 and 65 years old, found an evident link between love suffering and the increased risk of suffering from heart-related problems.
The evidence indicated that living with stress in a marriage “causes the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, with an increase in the instability of atherosclerotic plaques that favor the appearance of cardiac complications.”
This would mean that “happily married” women would have a lower risk of suffering from heart attacks.
Something that also points out president of the Spanish Heart Foundation: “When one is happy the body is happy. It is the antithesis, unhappiness, depression, which is scientifically proven to negatively affect the heart and produce greater cardiac problems. Specifically, more myocardial infarctions.”
Good emotional health with strong emotional ties favors, according to studies, the correct functioning of our body and reduces the risk of suffering from certain diseases. heart diseases.
Love, it is demonstrated, is a great ally for our heart.