Do you experience pain from time to time? Hold your partner’s hand! Science says that physical touch with a person with whom you have an empathetic connection helps.
Social touch has an analgesic effect in babies, people with cancer, and chronic pain patients. Touch can also reduce distress.
Practice Intentional Touch
Try intentional physical touch with a person close to you on a daily basis. Here are a few examples of how to do it:
Partner Rocking
Partner Swaying
Co-Regulated C-Touch
How Researchers Found That Touch Can Relieve Pain
In one study, women were placed in an MRI machine, holding hands with strangers or their husbands. They were told they might receive an electric shock. Women holding their husbands’ hands reacted less than those holding strangers’ hands. Higher marital quality was also associated with a greater reduction in fear.
In another experiment, women were connected to a Thermal Sensory Analyzer that delivered a painful cold stimulus to their skin. The women were holding hands with their partners, and all of the participants’ brain activity was tracked by EEG.
Results showed that partners holding hands had synchronized brain activity in areas responsible for touch and empathy. The stronger the synchronization, the greater the analgesic and empathic effects were. This suggests that deep empathy and touch may help relieve pain.
The orange lines represent coupling links between areas in the partners’ brains. The head color reflects the number of links.
Although not the same, hugging a plush toy may also help reduce anxiety and stress. Consider whether hugging a frog or a horsie could help you relax.