... but if she is in pain, hold her hand
IT’S a good reason for women to take their husband into the labour ward when they give birth. Holding the hand of someone you love can help ease pain, a study has found.
It is believed touching someone you love provides a ‘reward’ in the brain which makes pain easier to bear.
The secret is believed to be that touch synchronises a couple’s brains, so they undergo a painful experience in a similar way.
The study’s lead author, Dr Pavel Goldstein, from the University of Colorado, said: ‘I got the idea for this study in the delivery room when my daughter Emily was born. Hand-holding was very helpful for my wife. We found two people’s brains synchronise when they hold hands, which can have an analgesic effect when one is suffering pain. It may be that empathy is transferred through touch.’
The scientists subjected women to heat pain by passing hot water through a tube they were holding. Men were made the observers as women have been shown to benefit more from social support. Women asked to rate their pain from zero to 100 gave ratings 52 per cent lower after holding hands than if they were separated from their partner. Their partners were also asked to rate the female’s pain and came up with more accurate ratings after holding their hand.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, follows evidence that skin-to-skin touch can reduce babies’ pain during medical procedures.