*According to a new study, women who were instructed to hug their romantic partner before experiencing stress had a lower biological stress response than women who did not hug their partner - * - as indicated by stress hor cortisol levels in saliva. This effect is not seen in men. Gesa berretz of Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany and his colleagues in [PLoS One] on May 18( https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266887 ) 》The findings were published in the journal.
In some cases, social contact may cushion stress. Previous studies have shown that massage, hugging and shaking hands, as well as hugging and affectionate communication, can reduce signs of stress in women. However, few studies have investigated these effects in men, nor have they explored the effect of short hugs themselves.
To explore the potential stress relief effects of hugging, berretz and colleagues analyzed 76 people in relationships. All participants underwent a stress inducing test in which they were asked to place one hand in an ice water bath for three minutes while being observed and in eye contact with the camera. Before the test, half of the couples were asked to hug, while the others did not. The researchers measured various stress indicators before and after the experiment, including participants' salivary cortisol levels.
Statistical analysis showed that women who hugged their partners had a lower cortisol response to stress tests than women who did not hug their partners. However, for men, no association was observed between hugging and stress-induced cortisol response. Other stress measures, including changes in blood pressure and emotional status, did not show any association with partner hugging.
These results suggest that a brief hug with a romantic partner may subsequently reduce women's cortisol response to stressful social situations, such as school exams, job interviews or speeches. Further research could investigate whether this benefit extends to embracing platonic friends.
The authors also called for research on the related effects of the covid-19 pandemic. Such surveys can explore whether social restrictions that reduce social contact are associated with the observed increase in stress and depression during the pandemic.
"As a woman, hugging your romantic partner can prevent your body's acute stress response," the authors added