It's Valentine's Day and this day-long love fest may not exactly be your thing.

I love my husband and sure, I like to be appreciated and fawned over, who doesn't? But we've never really made a big deal out of Feb. 14th's comings and goings. We prefer to celebrate days that are more intimately entwined with our lives.

And when I was single, well, St. Valentine came and went without nary a notice.

But whether you skip the holiday, despise it or demand the star treatment from your significant other, one thing is clear about love - it does a body good. Hold up, get your minds up and out of the gutter. There is that, but doctors say being in love is good for our health too.

A report released last year showed that people who were with their spouse or partner, even if the relationship was not a positive one, had a drop in blood pressure. On average the study participants' blood pressure went down one point. Not a huge drop, but significant to note, said lead author of the student Brooks Gump, assistant professor of psychology of the State University of new York at Oswego. 

A 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found the same results and a 2010 study found that people with quality relationships with friends who were not necessarily a spouse or partner, also experienced lower blood pressure when they were with those individuals.

The small decrease in blood pressure may seem insignificant but for the lonely, the study results are staggering.  Study participants who were less social saw a 14.4 point rise in their systolic blood pressure as reported in the Journal of Psychology and Aging.

So, it is not hard to understand why similar studies have also shown that being in a relationship decreases the likelihood of being depressed. A study found that married subjects scored an average of 3.42 points lower on the 84-point depression scale than unmarried participants, according of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

And in an interview with ABC News, scientists from the National Institute of Medicine said studies around the globe have repeatedly yielded the same results: people in isolation, or who are disconnected from others, have an increased risk of dying prematurely.

Love, it seems, is good for you.

So, step away from your computer. Go find your partner, good friend or your children and spend the afternoon connecting and appreciating each other. It will make you feel good today, and possibly, for years to come.

Happy Valentine's Day!