Experts reveal that holding hands with someone you trust can have a profound impact on your stress response. This physical touch stimulates the production of oxytocin, also known as the “cuddle hormone,” fostering a sense of social bonding.
Whether you find it romantic or cheesy, holding hands serves a vital purpose for our mental well-being. According to the Daily Mail, it has been proven to dampen the brain’s ‘threat’ signals that arise when we feel alone. By providing assurance through physical touch, hand-holding modulates our response to stressful situations.
Renowned psychologist James Coan from the University of Virginia explains that being alone is perceived as a problem by our brains, which constantly seek solutions in the world around us. Hand-holding plays an essential role in human bonding, starting from infancy when babies instinctively hold their mother’s palm.
Our hands are filled with sensitive nerve fibres that connect to the vagus nerve in the brain – the control centre for crucial bodily functions, including mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate.
In addition to these benefits, physical touch releases feel-good chemicals like oxytocin and serotonin in our brains. These chemicals promote feelings of bonding and connection between individuals.
To study the effects of holding hands in stressful situations, James Coan conducted research involving 16 married women who were subjected to electric shocks. The results revealed that holding a stranger’s hand significantly reduced the brain’s threat response. However, the sense of relief was even greater when holding their husbands’ hands. The happier couples reported feeling in their relationships had a direct correlation with how much their partner’s hand reduced their brain’s response to shocks.
Furthermore, not having this important connection triggers noticeable changes in brain activity. Pressure on our highly sensitive palms activates pressure-sensitive nerve endings that send signals to the vagus nerve. These signals then reach the hypothalamus, which can lower heart rate and blood pressure, effectively mediating the body’s response to stress.
Simultaneously, hand-holding stimulates the production of oxytocin – the “love hormone” that strengthens social bonding and connectedness, fundamental aspects for human thriving. Oxytocin also increases a person’s pain threshold and reduces inflammation in the body.
