Your hand is in your husband's hand a scientific recipe to relieve pain

Holding hands is a basic form of affection, and a common part of relationships across many cultures.

Some scientific studies and experiments show that holding a husband's hand has a significant impact on psychological and mental health. Studies say that it helps reduce pain and relieve stressful experiences, but the most profound thing about holding hands is the need to communicate and feel a sense of belonging to someone.

The power of touch

In 2021, a group of researchers conducted a scientific experiment to discover the calming effect on women of holding their husband's hand while watching clips from horror films.

The study, which was published on the US National Library of Medicine website, showed that this simple movement reduced stress and its effect on the autonomic nervous system, which regulates unconscious body functions such as pupil dilation.

The study concluded that when women felt anxious and stressed, holding the hand of a family member calmed the parts of the brain responsible for alertness and general responsiveness, but the most powerful effect was when they held the hands of their husbands. Also, satisfaction in marriage and the quality of the relationship between spouses had a greater impact and benefit in reducing stress and its impact on health.

James Cowan, professor of psychology and director of the Virginia Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Virginia, has spent years exploring how social relationships protect people from stress and maintain their health.

Cowan, with a group of researchers, conducted several experiments on the effects of holding hands. One of the experiments included 16 married women who were subjected to an MRI brain scan with the possibility of being subjected to an electric shock. Brain scans showed that the neural circuits associated with alertness to potential threats became much less active, and the women felt less stressed, in contrast to greater activity in the neural circuits and feeling more tense when they held a stranger's hand.

Cowan considered that the results indicate that holding hands helps the brain relieve stress, so when a person holds the hand of a loved one during a difficult time, it is as if he or she is sharing the burden with them.

Why do people hold hands?

Cowan argued, in a talk on the University of Virginia website, that people hold hands for many reasons, but there is a common denominator that unites them all, which is the desire to feel safe and share the burden as happened in previous experiences.

“We seek signals from each other that we are together,” Cowan said. “When we lack those signals, our bodies go into a state of alarm that triggers a stress response. When we get those signals back by holding hands, our brains and bodies can relax and move into Other interests.

Cowan pointed out that hands are filled with intense sensory abilities that provide detailed information about the things they touch, including a woman touching her husband’s hand. “Our hands are our bodies’ means of exploring and manipulating the world. We extend our hands in the dark, and when we find another hand there, we know for sure that we are not "Alone."

Cowan stated that holding hands is a very ancient human behavior, but at the same time, it is not limited to humans only, as there is some evidence that other types of living organisms do the same thing.

Cowan gave an example of this from “primates”, and said that chimpanzees do this as well, although they practice this behavior much less frequently than humans, and they practice it under more specific circumstances. “Chimpanzees use what he calls - hand-holding - as part of a ritual.” Reconciliation after conflict.

The benefits of holding the hand of someone you love

Holding hands is an essential part of a safe relationship. It allows couples to express love, trust, and empathy, in addition to enhancing physical health, reducing pain and stress, and building a healthy relationship. The Heliorelish website mentions a number of basic benefits of holding hands, including:

feeling safe

Holding hands is an essential part of a safe relationship, as it creates a feeling of stability, reassurance, and belonging to the other party.

Reduce stress

Comforting touch can reduce stress instantly. When people in stressful situations hold their partner's hand, their heart rate and blood pressure drop, and their level of cortisol, the stress hormone, drops significantly.

Secretion of the love hormone

A husband holding his wife’s hand causes the release of the hormone oxytocin, also called the “love hormone,” which contributes greatly to building and forming human relationships.

A strong bond

Holding hands fosters feelings of empathy, compassion and trust, allowing for a strong and lasting partnership to be built. Regularly holding your spouse's hand strengthens connection and encourages the development of those basic feelings of empathy, affection, and trust.

Relieve pain

It has been scientifically proven that empathic touch, such as holding the hand, reduces the feeling of pain, as holding the husband’s hand helps him feel less discomfort and increase the feeling of security.

Heart health

Holding hands can lower blood pressure and lower heart rate. Each of these factors can contribute to reducing stress and improving overall heart health.

Reducing anxiety levels

When anxiety attacks occur, heart rates increase, breathing becomes rapid, cortisol levels rise, and blood pressure rises. All of these factors can contribute to poor physical health. And holding hands can calm anxiety attacks before they get worse.

Resist loneliness

Holding your husband's hand provides a feeling of belonging and security. It is possible for a person to feel lonely even when in the presence of others, while holding a spouse's hand provides immediate physical feedback that interrupts this feeling of loneliness and replaces it with feelings of acceptance, belonging, and love.