“Love is the most important binding agent,” notes Dr. Aziz Al Namani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Psychology Clinic, as he highlights the role of love in mental health.
Despite structural changes in the world and subtle alterations in the fabric of our society, love, as a concept that we have known, has not changed over the years. It is still the most important binding agent for relations. However, I do agree that love in relationships does change and evolve over time, as it bends, adapts and grows to meet the changes in couples’ lives. Nothing is constant in our lives and such changes are inevitable in the process of our lives. Therefore, I would say that love at the beginning of a relationship is different from the love that one feels as years pass by.
As far as mental health is concerned, strong emotions can have positive or negative effect, depending on the type of emotion. However, the effect of love on mental health is mainly positive. This is partially due to the various neurotransmitters released by our body when we fall in love. To explain this further, when a person falls in love, in the initial stages, ‘Dopamine’, the feel good chemical, gets secreted. This makes the person feel happier, positive and much appreciated. On the other hand, our body might also secrete spikes of stress hormone, cortisol, which might cause anxiety, obsession and nervousness.
Self Love
For positive development and mental well being, it is important to create an atmosphere of love. On a general note, there are several factors that can help foster love in one’s life, but I would like to stress on one of the most important factors – self love. In order to improve love in a relationship with another human being, one must first learn to love him/herself. There are, of course, other factors like trust, honesty, communication and connection that are also important to foster love.
While I believe strongly in all the values attached to love and underscore them as important, personally, I value trust, cooperation and independence that love imparts.
As a psychiatrist, I have come to rely on the strength of love to ensure effective healing. Its therapeutic role is immense in mental health and I make it a point to establish the importance of love among my patients. Through words or through healing exercises, I explain the positive effects of love in improving mental health. And I am reassured when I see it bearing results.