by Conscious Reminder
Holding hands can be a real form of therapy and help restore the physiological and emotional synchronization of a couple.
Holding hands relieves pain
An interesting study published in PNAS has scientifically shown that holding hands can have an important analgesic effect. In this study, 22 heterosexual couples between the ages of 23 and 32 were analyzed.
To assess the psychophysiological effects of physical contact, the couples were divided into three groups: those who had to stay in two separate rooms; those who were together in the same room but without the possibility of physical contact and, finally, those who had to hold hands throughout the duration of the experiment.
The test consisted of stimulating the female partner’s arm with somewhat painful stimulations and at the same time recording the vital parameters and brain waves of both partners.
Well, the results of the experiment confirmed the therapeutic power of holding hands. And not only that, in fact, women who were subjected to stimulation and who maintained physical contact with their partner reported lower perception of pain.
Also, these couples experienced the synchronization of vital parameters (heart, breath) and brain waves was restored; in fact, this synchronization, naturally present in couples, is interrupted if either of them notices pain, but, according to this study, it can be restored by physical contact that conveys the partner’s empathy.
What psychology has to say about Holding Hands
We live in an era in which, out of necessity and convenience, we have adapted to many forms of communication that tend to “dematerialize” physical contact and reproduce it digitally.
Yet the presence of the body, small and large gestures of love, walking hand in hand, cannot be replaced by any technology, not even the most advanced.
Intertwined hands represent the first sign of contact during the approach in the initial stages of acquaintance, the first sign of mutual attraction.
When the relationship becomes stable and deep, holding hands is a gesture that reinforces the intimacy of the two partners, marks their daily habits, and talks about the way it is considered natural today to go side by side.
Sometimes it is physical contact that can open up a way of communicating with others when words are hard to find or simply not enough.
A hand that intertwines with ours reaches straight to the heart and gently caresses our soul.
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