The Healing Powers Of Love

Philosophers, poets, and theologians strongly believe that love is the very essence of spiritual experience. Every world religion teaches the importance of giving and receiving love. Now scientific research is beginning to verify the healing power of love.

One important reason love improves health is because it generally inspires support from other people. One of the main reasons that frequent attendance at religious services is associated with better health may be that church attendance promotes social support and a sense of belonging, especially among older adults. Social support has been found to be a protective factor in preventing or alleviating many diseases.

In a 1979 study done in Alameda County, evidence showed that social support was one of seven factors that was found to have a positive benefit for health and longevity. People with many close social ties had a lower risk of death than those with few social ties. Moreover, people with close social ties and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors lived longer than those who had healthy behaviors but lacked close social ties.

Even processes such as childbirth can be influenced by social support, according to a 1980 research. Among a group of women receiving social support, mean delivery time was 8.7 hours, compared with 19.3 hours for the group receiving only standard treatment. Mothers who received social support had fewer complications during delivery and more readily bonded with their babies.

In a study done in Alameda county, a 17 year prospective follow-up study by Reynolds in 1990 concluded that among women, social isolation was a risk factor for the onset and progression of cancer. Other studies confirm that social support appears protective against cancer. A 1996 study of women with advanced breast cancer found that having social support was associated with longer survival time.

Social support may promote health and healing in several ways. One way is by helping people resist unhealthy behaviors. Social support also improves health by decreasing the level of stress. Another aspect of love that increases health is the active concern about the well-being of others. Altruistic activities were reported to produce marked benefits in the personal health and well-being of the highly successful individuals.

Giving of oneself to help others enhances well-being and produces feelings of usefulness, especially among older adults. A 1992 study by Dr. James House of the University of Michigan found that volunteer work, more than any other activity, produced a dramatic increase in life expectancy and improved health. Men who did no volunteer work were two and one-half times more likely to die than those who volunteered at least once a week.

Studies suggest that altruistic behavior has a positive effect on immune response even when it is merely observed, rather than engaged in. In a 1985 Harvard University study, noted psychologist Dr. David McClelland found that when students were shown a film about Mother Teresa, they showed an immediate and significant increase in the immune antibody. When students were shown a film about Attila the Hun, their antibody levels dropped.