Passive Presence of a Romantic Partner can Help You Overcome Pain

Even the passive presence of a romantic partner can help you win over pain. The findings of the study are published in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain.

A team of researchers has found that the passive presence of a romantic partner can reduce pain and that partner empathy may buffer affective distress during pain exposure.

‘Does the passive presence of a romantic partner reduce pain? Yes, a new study suggests that repeatedly, talking and touching your romantic partner can help you tolerate more pain.’

The study confirmed the analgesic effects of social support -- even without verbal or physical contact.

The research team assessed sensitivity to pressure pain in 48 heterosexual couples with each participant tested alone and in the passive presence of their partner.

Dispositional empathy was quantified by a questionnaire.

In the presence, as compared to the absence, of their partners both men and women exhibited higher pain thresholds and tolerance as well as lower sensory and affective pain ratings on constant pressure stimuli.

Partner empathy was positively associated with pain tolerance and inversely associated with sensory pain experience.

"Repeatedly, talking and touching have been shown to reduce pain, but our research shows that even the passive presence of a romantic partner can reduce it and that partner empathy may buffer affective distress during pain exposure," said Stefan Duschek, Professor at UMIT in Austria.

Source: IANS