If you are with a loved one who holds your hand much too often to show their affection to you, it might benefit you in more ways than one.
A study by the researchers of University of Haifa in Israel showed that holding hands can be helpful in reducing pain. It is even more efficient if you are in a relationship with someone.
It was noted that touching and empathizing not only relieves the pain but also synchronizes people’s brain waves. A psychology professor mentioned,
When we share the pain of others, basically we’re activating our brain in the same neural system that we activate when we feel firsthand experiences of pain. We all know that hand-holding is important for social support, but here we show the brain mechanism for this effect.
This research was made in a series of different experiments. In the first go, they checked the difference between holding hands with a loved one and a stranger. While more empathy from the partner lessened the pain, the touch from a stranger had no effects.
Then the researchers went for another round with a different type of EEG Technology that measured brain signals from both the partners simultaneously. This showed that people’s brain waves synchronized with cells firing in a similar pattern and the same location.
So if you are a person who hesitates to hold your partner’s hand in public or just think that it is sort of unnecessary, well here’s a reason to bombard them with a whole lot of love.