Falling in love can make the world seem a better place — but it can also have a major impact on your health.
恋爱能让世界看起来更美好，还可以增强体质哟。

A wealth of new research has found that romance can help improve a range of conditions, from high blood pressure to pain and allergic reactions.
诸多试验发现，恋爱能缓解多种症状，比如高血压、疼痛和过敏反应。

Falling in love is the result of activity in 12 areas of the brain working together, according to researchers at the University of Western Virginia in California. They say the first changes in brain activity begin within one-fifth of a second of becoming smitten.
加利福尼亚西弗吉尼亚大学研究人员说，恋爱是大脑12个区域共同作用的产物。陷入爱河时，大脑的第一个变化在五分之一秒内就会发生。

There is a surge of chemicals such as dopamine, which helps to regulate emotional responses, and oxytocin, the ‘cuddle hormone’ that induces feelings of trust and reduces anxiety.
化学物质多巴胺增加，帮助调节情绪；催产素，这种“亲热荷尔蒙”能带来信任感，减少焦虑。

This may explain why a study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that people in love tend to have lower blood pressure.
这就能解释《行为医学年鉴》中的一项研究，该研究表示恋爱中人们血压较低。

It is thought hormones released by touch are likely to play a role — pressure centres in the skin are in contact with the brain through the vagus nerve, which runs down the body.
触摸会释放荷尔蒙，荷尔蒙很可能参与了血压活动，皮肤中的血压中心通过迷走神经和大脑相连，迷走神经由上至下分布。

One theory is that stimulation of the vagus triggers an increase in oxytocin.
刺激迷走神经能增加催产素。

‘Important life events, such as falling in love, have profound physiological effects as well as emotional ones,’ says Professor Sir Cary Cooper, a psychologist at the University of Manchester.
曼切斯特大学的心理学家凯莉教授说：“人生中像恋爱这样的重大事件对心理状态和情绪有深远影响。”

‘The immune system, hormones and many other factors are likely to be involved.’
“免疫系统、荷尔蒙和其他很多因素也因此变化。”

Falling in love can also have an effect on our ability to fight off infections. Research from a study of 50 women found that those who fell in love during the two-year study had genetic changes linked to higher concentrations of compounds that attack viruses, reported the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
恋爱还对抵抗疾病有影响。某研究调查了50位女性为期两年的状态，两年中处于恋爱的女性基因发生了变化，这种变化和高浓度的混合物有关，而这些混合物能抵抗病毒。期刊《心理神经内分泌学》如实报道。

Romance can improve your pain threshold, too. Researchers at Stanford University in California used brain scans to assess responses to pain — in the form of a hot probe on the hand — while people looked at photos. When they looked at a picture of their loved one, self-reported pain dropped by 40 per cent. There was no such drop with pictures of an acquaintance.
恋爱还能缓解疼痛。加州斯坦福大学的研究人员通过扫描测试大脑对手接触发热传感器的疼痛反应，实验者同时会看到恋人的照片，结果表明疼痛感当下下降了40%。但是只是看熟人照片疼痛感并无下降。

Meanwhile, hugging your loved one can lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate due to increased levels of oxytocin, according to a study in the journal Comprehensive Psychology.
期刊《综合心理学》研究表示，和恋人拥抱时催产素增加，同时血压和心率降低。

Another study at the University of California showed that people who were regularly hugged by their partner were less likely to be depressed or anxious.
加州大学的实验也表明经常拥抱恋人的人不太容易沮丧或焦虑。