A doctor has weighed in on the effect experiencing loving relationships can have on your heart health.

Valentine’s Day may’ve passed and whether you celebrated with a partner, friend, family or dog, the love you felt from loved ones around you could actually play a role in your heart health.

Can love really impact the heart’s health? (Getty Stock Images)

The ‘love’ hormone

Cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr Joy Gelbman told The New York Post there’s ‘evidence’ that being ‘in supportive, happy relationships is heart healthy’.

“One theory is that being in a loving relationship can raise levels of oxytocin and lower stress hormones like cortisol, which can improve blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.” she continued.

Healthline explains oxytocin is ‘a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter’ which also plays an important role in reproduction, triggering ‘labor and the release of breastmilk’ in females and encouraging the movement of sperm in males.

“When you’re attracted to another person, your brain releases dopamine, your serotonin levels increase, and oxytocin is produced. This causes you to feel a surge of positive emotion,” it adds.

Oxytocin can be produced as a result of doing activities we find pleasing, for example hobbies, acts of kindness, but even stronger when it comes to acts such as hugging, kissing and sex.

And Healthline reveals the hormone can cause a ‘reduction in blood pressure and of the stress hormone norepinephrine’.

Happy wife, healthy heart? (Getty Stock Images)

How this can impact the heart

A 2005 study – published in Biological Psychology – revealed ‘more frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women’.

And that’s not all the hormone could help with, a 2022 study by Michigan State University researchers stating there’s potential evidence that oxytocin helps stimulate the regeneration of lost heart muscle cells too, Medical News Today reported.

The study has led researchers to hope oxytocin may help those who’ve experienced a heart attack then have lost heart muscle cells restored more easily.

And unmarried people versus married people have a 45 percent higher rate of dying from a cardiovascular related illness, a 2017 study revealed.

Although, Dr Gelman noted: “While marriage is associated with lower heart disease risk for both men and women, the effect may be stronger in men.”

And there’s also being in an unhappy marriage to take into consideration too.

Friendship love helps too (Getty Stock Images)

Dr Gelbman added: “That said, a study of married men in the UK found that men who reported improvement in the quality of a marriage over time also had improvements in cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol and body mass index (BMI), compared with those who reported being in consistently happy or unhappy marriages.”

Fear not if you can’t bear the thought of giving the apps another go though in a bid for a potentially healthier heart, as Dr Gelbman stressed: “It is not just romantic love that improves heart health, but strong social networks of supportive friends and family can also have health benefits.

“Even having a pet can improve heart health by keeping a person more active and more social, both of which impact the heart in a positive way.”

The path to true love never did run smooth especially when they’re just after your cash.

Finding love is difficult enough without also having to sift through fraudsters, alas, it’s a reality of dating in the 21st Century.

And as Valentine’s day is now upon us, it’s more important than ever to be clued up on what to look out for when navigating the online dating world.

Thankfully, financial crime specialist at Starling Bank, Sarah Lenette, has revealed five warning signs of someone’s intentions not being as pure or romantic as you’d hope.

There are some key signs to look out for (Getty stock image)

Do they have social media?

If they don’t have profiles on any social media platforms bar their dating apps, this is definitely a red flag as it prevents you from checking they’re a real person or who they say they are.

Lenette told The Independent doing ‘a reverse image search’ which you can do via Google or ‘platforms such as TinEye’.

She explains TinEye ‘checks whether the profile listed on “their” profile link back to different individuals’.

“If the pictures don’t match up, question why this is,” she advises.

Do they have other social media? (Getty Stock Images)

Have you video called or met in person?

With the rise of artificial intelligence it’s getting easier and easier for people to use a fake image to create a persona online.

If your match is giving excuses each time you ask to meet up or video call then ‘proceed with caution’ Lenette notes.

She explains some common excuses used by fraudsters can be that they ‘work abroad or are in the military’.

Have you video called? (Getty Stock Images)

Do they want to keep the relationship a secret?

Well, this may ramp up the heat between you two, but ultimately it’s a dangerous game to play and means they could be trying to isolate you away from loved ones and people who could point out something dodgy is going on.

Lenette says you should ‘always take a step back and ask why’ someone doesn’t want you to share information.

Granted, it can get easy to get caught up in your love bubble, which leads on to the next sign of a potential fraudster – love bombing.

Are they asking you to keep the relationship a secret? (Getty Stock Images)

Is it true love? Or is it love bombing?

We all want to feel loved and love the feeling of love, but it’s important to try and remain level-headed so you don’t get swept up and give too much of yourself – or your details or money – away.

Whether ‘excessive flattery, overly communicating their feelings for you and being intense about your future together at too early a stage,’ Lenette explains this can make you forget how little you actually know someone and become dependent on them and then be more susceptible to fulfilling whatever requests they make of you because you want to remain close to them, please them and stay on their good side.

And well, the final red flag is pretty obvious.

This red flag is fairly obvious (Getty Stock Images)

Have they outright asked for money?

This one kind of says what it is on the tin.

Anyone asking for money unexpectedly and over message is a red flag.

Make sure you know who you’re talking to, that it’s definitely them on the end of the phone and proceed with caution – particularly if they’re stressing it’s urgent and you need to act fast.

A body language expert has shared the signs to look out for that could indicate that your partner is cheating.

A 2022 study found that 20 percent of men, while 13 percent of women admitted to being unfaithful.

Making matters worse, almost 70 percent of the men who cheated said that they did so on more than one occasion.

It’s been suggested that men who work in three particular industries are most likely to cheat: those being pharmacists, accountants, and farmers, says Arizona-based divorce attorney, Kate Simonds.

But are there signs that your partner might be cheating? Former detective Darren Staton, who spoke to Mail Online, seems to think so…

Behavior

Darren says that if your boyfriend or girlfriend’s behavior changes could be a sign that they’re being unfaithful; drastic ones in particular.

“One or two changes in behaviour are not really significant, we are looking for six or seven consistent changes to their normal actions,” he said.

Phone habits

A lot of people are glued to their phone, but if your partner is keeping their device with them more than usual, it might be because they’re hiding something they don’t want you to see.

Yes, it might be a birthday present idea they’ve got saved on their Safari, but it also might be something more sinister.

You might notice that your partner’s less willing to leave their phone unattended (Getty Stock Image)

Darren warned: “Phones are such a big part of our lives and a reluctance to leave your mobile phone out unattended or allowing your partner to look at your phone is a flag.”

If they keep their phones facing down on the table, that could also be a red flag.

Routine

Unless you work different shift patterns, there’s a good chance you have a pretty steady routine. But if you notice that your partner’s straying from their usual day-to-day, this could be a infidelity sign.

If your loved one is spending less time with you and breaking away from the routines you usually share, it might be because their attention is needed elsewhere.

Something in particular to look out for is reluctance to follow the norm, i.e attending family events together and going on your usual Friday night date.

Your partner straying from routine could also be a sign of infidelity (Getty Stock Image)

Social media

According to Darren, if your partner is a regular social media user and all of a sudden stops posting as much, it might be because they supposedly want to become ‘invisible’.

“They want to seem out of the loop to reduce their chance of being caught out,” said the body language expert.

Changes in appearance

If your couch potato beau is all of a sudden discussing ‘gains’ and protein intake all the time, it might be because he’s wanting to impress another suitor.

Alternatively, if your girlfriend starts dressing nicer for work having previously not been as bothered about how she looked, there may be a new colleague she’s caught the attention of…

“If someone is suddenly buying clothes and making a lot more effort in their appearance, wearing more aftershave and taking more pride in their appearance it can be a red flag,” warned Darren.

Research has found that some behaviors linked to the way a person uses their mobile phone are breaking up relationships.

In the digital age, the younger generation in particular have become glued to their phones.

Whether it’s scrolling through TikTok, online shopping, or checking out potential new suitors on Tinder, there’s always something to do on our devices.

In fact, our lives have become so technology-centered that studies have found it increasingly common for people to meet a partner on a dating app.

However, your phone might help you get a partner, but it could also be the reason you break up.

In a survey conducted by mobile phone experts Compare and Recycle, 2,000 UK-based participants were asked what habits they see as ‘suspicious’ when it comes to their partners and their phones.

39 percent of people said that someone having their phone with them at all times was one type of suspicious behavior, while 29 percent of participants said that a person having password-protected apps would be a red flag.

Studies have shown that you’re most likely to find your next partner on a dating app (Getty Stock Image)

Elsewhere, half of the 2,000 people agreed that it’s suspicious if someone gets defensive if you ask to borrow their phone.

But the top suspicious behavior (according to 59 percent of respondents) was someone having two phones that you weren’t aware of.

The findings revealed that one in ten relationships have fallen apart due to confrontations about suspicious phone activity.

The survey also found that 18 percent of adults have caught their partner engaging in a digital affair, with 59 percent of those relationships breaking up as a result.

With these worrying statistics in mind, accredited counsellor with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Rebecca Partridge, has given some tips on how to navigate trusting your partner and their digital habits.