Loving contact not only feels good but can provide protective benefits to your heart and blood pressure.
This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of North Carolina who have recently completed a study focusing on the physiological effects of physical contact.
One hundred adult volunteers who were married or long-term partners held hands while watching a pleasant ten-minute video followed by a twenty-second hug.
A control group of eighty-five participants rested calmly without partners.
Both groups were then asked to discuss something stressful that had recently caused them to be upset or angry.
Usually talking about stressful experiences increases heart rate and blood pressure.
That is exactly what happened to people in the control group who experienced twice the rise in blood pressure and an increase of heart rate by ten beats per minute compared to the "huggers.
" This is just the latest in a long line of research studies linking loving contact with improved health.
The Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami Medical School has led the way in documenting the favorable outcomes of loving touch.
One of the most powerful physiological indicators of the healing power of touch is the dip in the stress hormone cortisol that occurs when we experience loving touch.
Gentle, caring touch has also been shown to boost immune function.
Some of the strongest research evidence for loving contact has come from the study of infants who received a fifteen-minute massage twice per week.
They cried less, gained more weight, showed greater sociability, and exhibited fewer signs of stress than infants who did not receive the massages.
One particularly important TRI study on premature babies in neonatal units showed that "preemies" who received massage therapy several times daily gained weight forty-seven times faster and left the hospital six days sooner than those who did not get massage.
Clinical psychologist and TRI founder Tiffany Field believes that loving touch is especially essential for children.
She observes, "The dose of touch is as critical as getting kids the right exercise and diet.
Parents feel that they have a better feeling for what their kids are needing and respond to, a better sense of their relationship with their child from the physical intimacy of touching.
We know it's great for growth and weight gain (for premature babies), but full-term babies are also less fussy and sleep better.
" Now that science has documented the health benefits of loving contact for children and adults, put that knowledge into action.
Give and receive massages.
Be sure to greet friends, family, and acquaintances more often with hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back.