Love Boosts Your Immune System and Lifespan It doesn't take a scientist to tell us that a healthy, loving relationship can lessen our stress — but did you know it also boosts our immune system's response and could help us live longer? Multiple studies have shown that couples in happy, happily married couples and singles had lower blood pressure than people in low quality marriages. Which means, at least in terms of your health, it’s much better to be single than unhappily married. But how does it improve your immune system? That’s a bit of a mystery to
researchers. So far, women in love have shown changes in their gene regulation of immune cells compared to women not in love. Some theorize that this is in order to prepare for pregnancy. Unfortunately, we still don’t have conclusive research on whether men in love better fight flu and other viruses, too. High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” since it has no symptoms, but it will steadily degrade your health over time, significantly increasing your risk of chronic conditions like heart disease. And while love is certainly not the only way to lower blood pressure, it’s comforting to know our loved ones can boost our health for a longer, happier life. Happy Valentine’s Day! This is one of the many reasons families need to sit down and talk about their legacy, which includes the topic of money. For some, this can be challenging and uncomfortable — but it’s necessary. You need to know if your heirs have the same or similar values as you when it comes to finances. Are they educated on financial matters? Do they have the knowledge they need to handle a transfer of assets, money, or property? How well do they handle their own finances? There are many questions to ask as you assess your estate plan. Don’t hesitate to have conversations with your family — ask questions and fill in the gaps when it comes to their education regarding these matters. The more prepared you and your family are for the future, the more likely your legacy will be properly cared for over the next generation and beyond.
How does it help your blood pressure exactly? Well, when positive events occur, the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin interact with your dopamine reward system. Vasopressin in particular helps control blood pressure. Of course, getting into a new relationship can be a little stressful! Cortisol, the stress hormone, initially rises when you fall in love. However, it quickly drops in a long-term, stable relationship. Those low cortisol levels sustained for a long period of time contribute to many health benefits.
loving marriages tend to have lower blood pressure. Marriage itself isn’t the key to a healthier life — the love is, researchers find.
How do researchers define a loving relationship? To put it simply, it depends on the couples’ own opinion. Married couples with a high quality (aka loving) relationship showed significantly lower ambulatory systolic blood pressure than singles. However,
A FORWARD- THINKING LEGACY Questions to Ask the Future of Your Family
Over the next few decades, an estimated $30 trillion will be passed from baby boomers to their children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren. This transfer of wealth has already started and will increase significantly in the years ahead. But as the transfer of wealth — including assets, money, and property — begins to take place, many families need to ask an important question: Is the next generation ready? Members of a family’s older generations have critical decisions to make as they assess their estate plan and everything it spells out. In order to make the most of their plans, they need to know whether or not their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are willing and able to handle anything they inherit. They need to know because more often than not, the next generation is not ready.
The Williams Group, a wealth consulting firm based in Georgia, found that once inherited, around 70% of family wealth is expected to disappear by the end of the second generation. By the third generation, 90% of that money is expected to be gone. Why is that? A lot of it comes down to a lack of planning and responsibility on the part of the heirs. Essentially, they either aren’t ready to take on their inheritance or they don’t know how due to a lack of financial literacy.
2 • CampbellWealth.com
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