Scientists find that people can tolerate more pain if their romantic partner is next to them

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Scientists are discovering that you can tolerate more pain if your romantic partner is beside you, even if you do not hold hands or talk to each other.

  • People's pain threshold was tested by slowly applying weight to their fingernail
  • In two different scenarios, their partner was in the room or not
  • When they were there, and only able to make contact, their loved ones acted as a pain reliever
  • Scientists believe that the effect was greater if the partner was empathetic

By Vanessa Chalmers Health Journalist for Mailonline

Published on: 4:16 pm EST, August 23, 2019 | Update: 17:27 BST, August 23, 2019

Scientists have discovered that people can tolerate more pain if their romantic partner is next to them.

During a series of experiments, the researchers gradually applied more pressure on the nails of the participants.

They found that volunteers were better able to bear the pain when their loved one was in the room than when they were alone.

But their romantic partners were not allowed to hold hands or talk to them, only to make eye contact.

And Austrian scientists even found that the pain-relieving effect was greater if their partner was considered empathetic.

Scientists are discovering that people can tolerate more pain due to progressive weight on their fingernails if their loving partner is next to them without even holding hands or talking

Scientists are discovering that people can tolerate more pain due to progressive weight on their fingernails if their loving partner is next to them without even holding hands or talking

Participants also assessed how painful the pressure was on a scale of one to ten while their finger was stuck under 3 kg of weight. When their partner was there, they rated their pain as less severe.

Participants also assessed how painful the pressure was on a scale of one to ten while their finger was stuck under 3 kg of weight. When their partner was there, they rated their pain as less severe.

Professor Stefan Duschek, Principal Investigator, said, "It has been shown time and time again that talking and touching reduces pain.

"But our research shows that even the passive presence of a loving partner can reduce it and that the partner's empathy can cushion an effective distress when exposed to pain.

"The results confirm the analgesic effects of social support, which may even occur without verbal or physical contact. & # 39;

Researchers from the University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology recruited 48 heterosexual couples.

THOSE IN A GOOD MARRIAGE LIVE LONGER

One study found that participants who were happy in their marriage were less likely to die within eight years.

Researchers believe that those who are content with their half are more motivated to lead active lives.

But living with someone who is "depressed and wants to spend the evening eating crisps in front of the television" encourages bad habits, he adds.

The research was carried out by the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands and directed by Dr. Olga Stavrova, from his department of social psychology.

After eight years, about 16% of participants had died.

The results – published in the journal Psychological Science – revealed that these deaths tended to affect those who reported having a bad relationship and satisfaction in life.

This remained true even after adjustment for "health" and "sociodemographic variables" of participants, such as education level and income.

In 2010, the World Health Organization found that marriage could reduce the risk of depression and anxiety and that single people were more likely to suffer from blues than those who were married.

One person from each couple had experiments in which his index was placed in a machine.

The machine slowly added weight on the nail until participants gave a stop signal when the pain was too sharp.

This was repeated three times, both alone with a study leader and when their partner was sitting one meter away from them.

The couple could look into each other's eyes without talking to each other.

Participants also assessed how painful the pressure was on a scale of one to ten while their finger was stuck under a weight of 3 kg.

Participants had higher pain tolerance when their partner was present and rated their pain as less intense.

The team also wanted to know how dispositional empathy reduces pain – that is when a person is able to imagine the feelings and experiences of someone else.

After the study, the couples wrote a 16-part questionnaire assessing everyone's empathy.

Participants who had empathic partners seemed to have a greater increase in their pain tolerance than those who did not.

Earlier studies have also shown that a soothing vocal empathy of a partner promotes intimacy, thus reducing the perceived threat.

The authors of the study wrote: "It can be argued that everyday experience with a very empathetic partner leads to a general expectation of his compassion and emotional support in threatening situations; as such, the mere presence of the partner can reduce distress and sensitivity to pain. "

They add that the theory has been reduced due to a distraction in the room.

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