Hold her hand to get through

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging MRI scans to assess how the women8217;s brains responded. Holding any hand helped relax the women, they found, but holding the spouse8217;s hand had an especially powerful effect.

8220;Holding any hand at all calms regions of the brain that are responsible for the body8217;s physical stress response,8221; said neuroscientist James A Coan of the University of Virginia, the study8217;s lead author. 8220;But only the spousal hand affected regions of the brain that are responsible for worrying8230; the region thought to be associated with your experience of pain.8221;

The findings are in line with other research showing that social ties have beneficial effects on health. Married people are, on average, healthier and happier than unmarried people, researchers found. And those in the happiest marriages tend to have lower risks of infection and faster recovery from injury than others. 8220;We discovered that spouses may be acting as a kind of analgesic in high-quality relationships,8221; Coan said.

8212;LATWP/ Christopher Lee