Holding ones hand can be a passionate gesture or a technique
to show affection toward any human being you care about. Now a current collective
research by two Universities (the University of Colorado Boulder and
University of Haifa) is showing that holding hands can cause a quantifiable entrainment that reduces physical pain naturally.
University of Haifa) is showing that holding hands can cause a quantifiable entrainment that reduces physical pain naturally.
The study outcomes also indicated that the more empathy and compassion
felt by the calming party toward the person going through pain, the more in
sync their brain waves became. The higher the entrainment, the more pain relief
you will experience.
Why has our society “lost touch” with the value of holding
hands?
As our culture becomes progressively technology-centric and
people spend more time engaging with devices rather than people, we tend to
forget the treasured benefits of human touch.
This study is just the most current in a research group
called “physiological mirroring or the inter-personal synchronization” of the
people you spend time with. The research outcomes were printed in the
Proceedings of the PNAS (National Academy of Sciences).
Unreliable evidence abounds about this effect. After all, it certainly feels good to hold
hands with somebody you care about. However, the investigators were questioning
if there was a scientific, computable effect.
Holding hands and human touch offset the dividing effects of
modern expertise
For the study, twenty two (22) heterosexual pairs who had
been together for 1 year or more ranging in age from 23 - 32 were placed in 3
different two-minute setups while their brainwave action was measured with EEG
scans.
They were then tested while sitting in isolated rooms, sitting together while holding hands and sitting together and not touching,.
They were then tested while sitting in isolated rooms, sitting together while holding hands and sitting together and not touching,.
The 2 scenarios were repeated while the woman was subjected
to slight pain through the application of heat to her arm.
Though some entrainment happened just by being in each
other’s presence, the maximum amounts of entrainment transpired when the couple
held hands - while the woman was in pain.
In some cases, pain briefly disturbed synchronization but the human touch brought it back.
In some cases, pain briefly disturbed synchronization but the human touch brought it back.
Successive tests for levels of empathy in the male partner revealed
that the more genuine empathy he sensed, the greater the levels of
synchronization in the couple.
Pain levels also lessened more dramatically in the female partner when empathy was at maximum.
Pain levels also lessened more dramatically in the female partner when empathy was at maximum.
Feeling empathy while holding hands yielded highest pain
relief effect
The study revealed that intention and what is in your heart
and mind matters as well. This was clear due to the improved entrainment and
pain-relief effects that were experienced when the companion offering comfort
felt higher levels of empathy and compassion for their opposite suffering
partner.
These researchers speculate that human-touch blurs the restrictions
between self and other in positive ways. Instead of feeling isolated and apart,
the humble act of holding hands aids people to feel supported and connected.
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