7 Ways Romance Novels Actually IMPROVE Your Life (Says Science)

Yeah, we said it. Ever since the '50 Shades of Grey’ phenomenon, romance novels are getting more attention than ever. Publishers like Harlequin Books get a lot of press too, and they've been publishing romance novels since 1949. However, with great power comes great responsibility.

Well guess what? Gallivanting with multi-millionaire playboys and carrying secret love-children might not be something you do in your real life, but the books you pick up that take you there are making your life much better! There's plenty of evidence that points to one straight up fact: a romance novel a day (or, you know, a week!) keeps the doctor away.

1. They can reveal your own needs. If you feel weighed down by dissatisfaction in your relationship and can't figure out how to ask for you what you want, reading a romance novel can help you overcome that. If you read a book and think "Wow, I wish someone would do that for me or to me," then you know concretely what to ask for in a relationship— or in the bedroom.

2. They support positive body image and a healthy sex life. In the world of romance novels, our heroines are always left satisfied. Authors like Sharon Kendrick and Carol Marinelli, who both write for Harlequin Presents, can create any number of relationships that show the myriad ways we fall in love. If you're feeling less-than-empowered in your life, reading a romance novel is an inspiring way to gain more confidence in getting what you want from your partner: physically, emotionally, and sexually.

3. They're written by smart women. They're not just read by them. In an article for The Huffington Post, one romance author noted that she knows numerous romance writers who hold PhDs, one who practiced law and countless others who graduated from Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and Duke. USAToday even published an article about scholarly writers turning to the romance genre. These smart, scholarly women want to stimulate your mind and there's nothing unhealthy about that!

4. Excitement keeps your neurons healthy. Reading a book like Carrying The Greek's Heir by Sharon Kendrick is not going to leave you bored. When you read a romance novel, with it's secret pregnancies and cliff-hangers, the excitement it ignites in your brain battles against the inhibitions that also get released. According to Medical Daily, this tug-of-war is exactly what you need to keep your neurons sharp and healthy. So even if you can't have an extremely romantic secret pregnancy with a billionaire of your own, reading about it is just as heart-thumping.

5. They can teach you about real love. Sure, a lot of the most romantic moments in our favorite books include big gestures, flying across the world or getting swept off to Paris. But in romance novels, the moments that matter most are the small ones: the way someone's hair smells or how they first look at you when you meet them. Romance novels prove it's a series of tiny (and realistic!) gestures that make for a true healthy, loving relationship.

6. Statistically, they make you sexier. In a study cited by Dr. Joyce Brothers, women who read romance novels have sex 74% more often than women who don't. And if that's not enough, how about this: according to the British Medical Journal, the more orgasms you have the longer you’re likely to live. These are stone cold, sexy facts.

7. Doing things that make you happy lowers your risk of heart disease. If reading romance novels makes you happy, then by all means keep doing it! You can find novels on any topic, from swarthy Greek moguls to secret love children to arranged marriage turned match-made-in-heaven. Emotional vitality (AKA sustaining yourself with things you know you love) has been proven to lower your risk of coronary heart disease. It also helps you deal with stress more easily, gives you a sense of hopefulness and generally makes your life better all-around.

In short: Life's too short not to read romance novels!

Sponsored by Harlequin Books