05 Apr Easing Pain
Some of the editors of this blog (and their kids) have long believed that hugs can make pain go away. Researchers (you knew we were heading that way) at the University of Colorado at Boulder have found that holding hands with a loved one can actually ease pain.
Holding hands syncs breathing and heart rates and brain wave patterns. More empathy creates more synching. And the more the brain waves sync, the more the pain goes away.
It’s not a hug, but hey—maybe they’ll study that, too.
Oxford researchers have written about the “rower’s high,” in which a group (like a crew team or dancers) struggling as a team has a higher pain threshold.
Read more here.
“Synchronizing makes us feel good—and feeling good helps a group’s wheels turn more smoothly. Coordinating with others also makes us do good—and doing good enhances synchronization.” Daniel Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
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