How Saying “I Love You” to Those Close to You More Often Can Change Your Life

According to a survey, more than half of couples that have been dating for 2-5 years say, “I love you” every day. But as the relationship reaches 10+ years, that number drops to 33% and keeps going down as time passes. However, there are many reasons to change this habit and we’re here to tell you why.

We at Bright Side care about your relationships and have discovered a way for you to improve you and your loved ones’ daily lives without putting forth much effort.

You’ll have nurturing and prosperous relationships.

The human bond is a living thing of its own. It requires a lot of emotional investment, but it doesn’t have to be exhausting work as long as we look after it. Showing affection for your loved ones can be as easy as reminding them how lucky you feel to have them in your life. To be specific, we’re not talking only about romantic relationships, but it can also be your connection with parents, kids, siblings, and so on.

A psychologist named Lisa Arango believes that saying, “I love you” serves as “the oxygen for the relationship.’’ She also adds that “telling somebody you love them feeds the relationship and keeps it alive.” It takes such minimal effort, but the payoff is immeasurable.

You’ll become a source of security and care for your loved ones.

It can be very upsetting if the people you care for go to someone else with their problems and emotional needs. We’re all inherently selfish in one way or another, but in this case, the desire to be needed by others can be a good thing. Expressing love shows other people you want the best for them and that they can trust you. Arango said that reminding those close to you that they matter to you is enough to keep them happy. “What people are really looking for is emotional presence,” explains Arango.

You might even experience health benefits.

Speaking of being selfish, sharing love with others actually has a direct influence on your well-being. Kory Floyd, a professor that specializes in human communication, believes that expressing love, in any shape or form, can be beneficial for our health. Imagine having a terrible day and then coming home to the person you love. Floyd says, “It may not change anything about what’s going badly in your day, but it can change everything about the way you feel in that moment. It feels like all of your stress is just melting away.”

The professor went on to remind us that whenever we feel and receive love, our bodies produce the hormone oxytocin that helps to deal with stress. “Oxytocin’s effects on the body are primarily ones of calming and warmth. It’s very much a feel-good hormone,” says Floyd. It’s also often referred to as the “cuddle hormone” and that’s exactly how it makes you feel.

You’ll be happier in your daily life.

There was a curious experiment that involved giving people money and asking half of them to spend it on themselves and the other half to buy something for others. The goal of this research was to see if people felt different at the end of the day depending on how they spent the money. Interestingly, those who purchased gifts for other people felt happier than those who kept the money for themselves. The same philosophy applies to non-material gestures as well.

Psychologists believe that being generous in your feelings makes you happier, even though you’re the one doing the giving. Think about it: how nice does it feel when you compliment another person or say something that makes them smile? This feeling only becomes stronger when you’re doing it for someone you love.

You’ll never regret saying it.

Life is full of surprises — and they’re not always positive ones. While we don’t mean to bring you down, we do want to remind you that we never know what’s going to happen tomorrow or when it’ll be the last time we can say, ’I love you’ to someone we care about. Saying these 3 words doesn’t require much, but not saying it can haunt you for the rest of your life. So it’s better to be safe and tell your loved ones what they mean to you today.

How often do you express affection for your loved ones? Do you think you could do it more?