Things to watch on Valentine’s Day: Holding hands is good for your health

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] There is nothing warmer than seeing a couple walking hand in hand. Holding hands is not only a gesture of love but also has physiological value. According to the Washington Post, studies show that this simple action can help lower blood pressure, reduce pain and relieve stress.

When people feel like they're being attacked, a handshake can calm certain parts of the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, which helps control our instincts and see reason. Researcher James Coan, a clinical psychologist and director of the Virginia Emotional Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia, conducted a number of experiments on the effects of holding hands.

In one experiment, he gave 16 married women brain MRI scans and then threatened them with electric shocks. Brain scans show women can reduce the stress of shock when they shake hands with strangers. But the stress reduction was even more pronounced when they held hands with their spouse, suggesting that the quality of the relationship is important for the benefits of holding hands.

Cohen's research concluded that the human brain is wired to use relationships to help solve problems. He discovered that loneliness itself was a problem. He called it social baseline theory. Without the ability to form relationships, the brain finds problems difficult to solve and expends more physical and mental effort to solve them. But when we know we are not alone, as holding hands conveys, our problem-solving abilities become easier and more relaxed.

Touch pressure on the highly sensitive skin of the hands stimulates pressure-sensitive Pacinian corpuscles, which send signals to the vagus nerve, according to the British Columbia Medical Journal. The vagus nerve carries these signals to the hypothalamus, which lowers heart rate and blood pressure and contributes to the neural management of the stress response.

"Handshakes also initiate the production of oxytocin, which helps people feel closer and more connected to each other, and reduces the cortisol response to stress," says intimacy expert Dr. George Szasz. . So this Valentine’s Day and beyond, hold the hand of a loved one and give the gift of good health.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)