January 20, 2009 – The caresses would have beneficial virtues for health, according to an American study. In particular, they lead to a reduction in stress and blood pressure.
American psychologists conducted a clinical trial with 34 couples whose healthy partners were between 20 and 39 years old. For four weeks, 20 couples engaged in caring touch exercises for three weekly sessions of 30 minutes.
The other 14 couples (control group) were simply instructed to take notes about their expressions of affection, without changing their usual behavior.
The researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure as well as the levels of two stress-related hormones and an enzyme before, during and after the trial. According to the results, saliva levels of oxytocin and alpha-amylase were higher in the loving touching couples than in the control group participants.
Oxytocin, also called the love hormone, and alpha-amylase, a digestive enzyme, are two substances associated with controlling stress. Researchers found no effect on blood levels of cortisol, a hormone that is often used as an indicator of stress.
The authors of the study also report a slight reduction in blood pressure, more evident in men than in their partner. Before the start of the trial, the men’s blood pressure was higher than that of their partner.
The participants in the “caress” group had to apply a technique aimed at increasing their awareness of their partner’s psychic mood and their physiological state, by touching him / her on the neck, shoulders and hands. At first, the partners were in a seated position to practice the cuddles, then they continued lying on their backs, side by side, gradually letting themselves be drawn into a gentle mutual rocking.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Holt-Lunstad J, Birmingham WA, Light KC. Influence of a “warm touch” support enhancement intervention among married couples on ambulatory blood pressure, oxytocin, alpha amylase, and cortisol. Psychosom Med. 2008 Nov; 70 (9): 976-85.
