In a study of 20 heterosexual couples, ages 23-32 years, researchers report coupled activity between partners' brains that appeared to be unique to when the partners held hands while the female partner experienced pain; the brain-to-brain coupling was associated with pain reduction in the female partner and with increased empathic accuracy, or agreement between the partners' ratings of the female partner's pain, suggesting possible neurological mechanisms for social touch analgesia.
Article #17-03643: "Brain-to-brain coupling during handholding is associated with pain reduction," by Pavel Goldstein, Irit Weissman-Fogel, Guillaume Dumas, and Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory.
MEDIA CONTACT: Pavel Goldstein, University of Colorado Boulder, CO; tel: 720-366-8855; e-mail: <goldsteinpav@gmail.com>
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences