Wednesday, May 15, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Dads-To-Be, Take Note! Holding Your Partner's Hand Can Ease Their Pain

Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Jun, 2017 01:04 PM
    Dads-to-be, take note! You may be more useful in the labour room than you realise, as a study has found that holding your partner's hand synchronises your heart and respiratory rates and dissipates her pain. 
     
     
    The study of 22 couples is the latest in a growing body of research on "interpersonal synchronisation," the phenomenon in which individuals begin to physiologically mirror the people they are with. 
     
     
    "The more empathic the partner and the stronger the analgesic effect, the higher the synchronisation between the two when they are touching," said Pavel Goldstein from University of Colorado at Boulder in the US. 
     
    Scientists have long known that people subconsciously sync their footsteps with the person they are walking with or adjust their posture to mirror a friend's during conversation. Recent studies also show that when people watch an emotional movie or sing together, their heart rates and respiratory rhythms synchronise. 
     
     
    When leaders and followers have a good rapport, their brain-waves fall into a similar pattern. And when romantic couples are simply in each other's presence, their cardiorespiratory and brain-wave patterns sync up, research has shown. 
     
     
     
     
    The latest study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to explore interpersonal synchronisation in the context of pain and touch. The researchers hope it can inform the discussion as health care providers seek opioid-free pain relief options. Goldstein recruited 22 long-term heterosexual couples, aged 23 to 32, and put them through a series of tests aimed at mimicking that delivery-room scenario. Men were assigned the role of observer; women the pain target. 
     
     
    As instruments measured their heart and breathing rates, they: sat together, not touching; sat together holding hands; or sat in separate rooms. Then they repeated all three scenarios as the woman was subjected to a mild heat pain on her forearm for two minutes. As in previous trials, the study showed couples synced physiologically to some degree just sitting together. 
     
     
    However, when she was subjected to pain and he could not touch her, that synchronisation was severed. When he was allowed to hold her hand, their rates fell into sync again and her pain decreased. 
     
     
    "It appears that pain totally interrupts this interpersonal synchronisation between couples. Touch brings it back," Goldstein said. Goldstein's previous research found that the more empathy the man showed for the woman (as measured in other tests), the more her pain subsided during touch. The more physiologically synchronised they were, the less pain she felt. 
     
     
    It is not clear yet whether decreased pain is causing increased synchronicity, or vice versa, researchers said. "It could be that touch is a tool for communicating empathy, resulting in an analgesic, or pain-killing, effect," said Goldstein. The study did not explore whether the same effect would occur with same-sex couples, or what happens when the man is the subject of pain.

    MORE Life ARTICLES

    Canadians are incredibly forgiving when it comes to accidents

    Canadians are incredibly forgiving when it comes to accidents
    belairdirect surveys Canadians about the perception of forgiveness

    Canadians are incredibly forgiving when it comes to accidents

    Getting Ready for post-secondary world

    Getting Ready for post-secondary world
    Tips and pointers to prepare for the first year of post-secondary

    Getting Ready for post-secondary world

    Cirque du Soleil returns with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities

    Cirque du Soleil returns with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities
    KURIOS is a tale in which time comes to a complete stop, transporting the audience inside a fantasy world where everything is possible. 

    Cirque du Soleil returns with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities

    Staying energized at work during Ramadan

    Staying energized at work during Ramadan
    During the warmer days, it can be hard to retain your energy, especially during long work hours

    Staying energized at work during Ramadan

    Ashley Graham Is A Woman With Curves But Don't Say Plus-Size

    Ashley Graham Is A Woman With Curves But Don't Say Plus-Size
    "Does any woman really just come in and say, 'I'm a plus-size woman'? Maybe as a defence mechanism or maybe as a way to kind of cope with fitting into society but ... I just think it's divisive.

    Ashley Graham Is A Woman With Curves But Don't Say Plus-Size

    Are You Cheating On Your Gym Membership?

    Are You Cheating On Your Gym Membership?
    Big box gyms make their money off recurring monthly memberships with an average monthly fee of $54, but many say they saw an opening in the studio market where consumers are willing to pay between $25 and $35 for a single spinning, yoga or boot camp class.

    Are You Cheating On Your Gym Membership?