{"id":342359,"date":"2015-02-12T09:20:51","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T01:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mariefranceasia.com\/uncategorized-hk\/valentines-day-can-celebrating-occasion-make-happier-342359.html"},"modified":"2015-02-12T09:20:51","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T01:20:51","slug":"valentines-day-can-celebrating-occasion-make-happier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mariefranceasia.com\/hk\/culture-hk\/entertainment-hk\/valentines-day-can-celebrating-occasion-make-happier-342359.html","title":{"rendered":"Valentine's Day: Can celebrating the occasion make you happier?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"You<\/span><\/a><\/p>

Valentine\u2019s Day<\/strong>, the day of love, is just around the corner and flowers, jewellery and chocolates are flying off the shelves. But in actuality not everyone thinks that February 14th<\/sup> is a lovely romantic holiday. In Denmark, only 2% of men admit to enjoying and celebrating it, while the remainder regard it as pointless and clich\u00e9. This is bad news for women who might desire a small token of love and companies who bet their yearly sales on these special occasions.<\/p>

In an effort to make men think differently about Valentine\u2019s Day<\/a>, a Danish chocolate company, Anthon Berg<\/strong>, came up with the hypothesis that when a man is being generous (giving a gift and being affectionate) and his partner reacts positively, the oxytocin ('love' hormone) level increases, releasing feelings of love and happiness.<\/p>

In order to prove this theory, the chocolatier called on Paul Zak<\/strong>, an American neuroscientist, to conduct a 'scientific love experiment'. To achieve this, Zak isolated and observed 32 Danish couples. He split the women and men and drew blood samples from the men. He then gathered the couples together and asked the men to give their partners a box of chocolates<\/a> and tell them why they love them.<\/p>

Zak measured the oxytocin levels in the men's blood before and after, and noticed that the levels rose by an average of 27.5% after they gave the chocolates and vocalised their feelings. This number is just 0.5% lower than a bride\u2019s level on her wedding day. The neuroscientist clarifies,\u201cOxytocin makes us feel more connected to other people because the hormone is released when one\u2019s own generosity is reciprocated, and when other people\u2019s needs are more important than our own\u2026 Oxytocin makes us happier, increases erections and produces more powerful orgasms. This is really powerful stuff\u201d.<\/em><\/p>

To conclude, the more you demonstrate your generosity and express your love to your partner, the higher your oxytocin level will rise and the happier you will be.<\/p>

So, even if you claim not to be a Valentine\u2019s Day<\/a> person, at least give it a second chance! It is of course a commercial holiday, but it is also an opportunity to boost both you and your partner\u2019s happiness. \u201cAnd if you still don\u2019t like Valentine\u2019s Day, fair enough; you can always express your love on any other day of the week, \u201d<\/em>\u00a0says Zak.<\/p>

Watch\u00a0the video:<\/span> <\/h2>