Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone involved in birth, lactation, bonding, and social behavior. It also has metabolic and stress interactions under study.
Peat's view
[edit]Safe social contact, touch, and non-hostile environments matter for physiology. Oxytocin nasal sprays and hype products are not a substitute for sleep, food, and thyroid basics.
Physical touch itself has a measurable analgesic effect tied to interpersonal brain synchrony: in couples where one partner experienced induced heat pain, holding hands with their partner reduced the pain compared to no-touch conditions, and EEG hyperscanning showed the pain reduction tracked with increased brain-to-brain coupling between the pair's brainwaves, an effect partly mediated by the toucher's empathic accuracy.[1]
A 20-second hug is long enough to produce a measurable oxytocin response. In a study of premenopausal women, 10 minutes of hand-holding followed by a 20-second hug from their partner, before a public-speaking stress task, lowered blood pressure and heart rate compared to a no-contact control group.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Goldstein P, Weissman-Fogel I, Dumas G, Shamay-Tsoory SG. "Brain-to-brain coupling during handholding is associated with pain reduction," Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018;115(11):E2528-E2537. PMID 29483250.
- ↑ Grewen KM, Girdler SS, Amico J, Light KC. "Effects of partner support on resting oxytocin, cortisol, norepinephrine, and blood pressure before and after warm partner contact," Psychosom Med. 2005;67(4):531-538. PMID 16046364.