The Health Benefits Of Holding Hands
I have read so many articles on this topic over my lifetime and practice it daily with my family and friends. Nothing beats the human touch. Connection. Love. Warmth. This simple act of kindness can make such dramatic impact in your life and to those around you. Here are some reasons why we should hold hands to bring us much love and happiness into our daily lives.
THE HUMAN TOUCH
Sharp. Painful. Orgasmic. Comforting. Touch can be any of these things. But, it’s much more than one of the classic five senses; it’s fundamental to everything we think and feel, how we communicate and bond, and whether or not we catch a cold.
It all starts in the bottom layer of our skin. There, a series of informational conveyor belts, called Merkel cells, feed data from the skin to the body’s central nervous system. The body then responds with a surge of hormones. And, if you’re receiving the right kind of touch — as opposed to a creepy one or a punch in the nose — you'll get a dose of oxytocin, the aptly named “cuddle hormone.”
It's natural, provides comfort and studies have proven a loving touch helps stressful situations. Thanks Refinery 29 for these amazing facts.
IT CAN SERVE AS A POWERFUL STATEMENT.
For instance, if a celebrity is spotted holding hands with someone, society automatically assumes the pair is together.
While simple, holding someone’s hand in public, soberly, makes a declaration. It either says you’re together, you have a close relationship or you support what the other person is doing. And humans like to make statements.
We wear graphic t-shirts, post Facebook statuses and tweet our point-of-views. It makes our existence known, and therefore relevant.
IT CAN BE SEXY.
If you’ve been MIA for the past three years and haven’t heard about the “Fifty Shades Of Grey” phenomenon, then you should know that, sometimes, people like to feel dominated.
Some people like when others are in charge and making decisions. Although handholding is nowhere close to handcuffing, the person with his or her hand on top, the dominant hand, usually has control.
Whether he or she means to or not, in that moment, his or her body language demonstrates a physical control of you. Which, hey, for some people, that’s kind of hot.
HOLDING HANDS PROVIDES WARMTH.
Skin to skin contact is the best way to release and absorb heat -- whether you forget your gloves on a brisk winter walk through the park or your apartment building decided you didn’t need heat for the month of February.
PRESSURE RELIEVES PAIN.
Whose hand did you hold when your 8-year-old self got her ears pierced? Was your dad in the delivery room bravely holding your mom's hand as she brought you into the world?
Did you hold your middle school boyfriend's hand while you struggled to make it through the entirety of "The Hills Have Eyes"? (Or were you too busy being a teenager and making out in the back row?)
You automatically reach for your face if you accidentally walk into a door and try to release the stress in your shoulders after a long day hunched over your computer at work.
We’ve been programmed to see pressure as a slight, sometimes temporary, relief from pain.
And, when you think about it, someone holding your hand provides a very light form of pressure. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found when you place pressure on the "fleshy area between the thumb and forefinger," headaches, dental pain and anxiety can decrease.
So, when your hand is wrapped in someone else’s, his or her palm provides a similar pressure, potentially providing relief from any minor physical or mental pain you might be feeling.
IT’S NATURAL.
Sea otters do it. Penguins do it. Even elephants do it, albeit they have to use their trunks.
WE LIKE TO FEEL CONNECTED.
There’s a reason your mom was probably the first person who held your little hand. She’s the one who birthed you, the person who provided you with nourishment, warmth and a safe place to rest your head. Thanks Elite Daily for these tips.
SO GO ON! Hold someone's hand to day. You will never know how much of an impact you will be making.
"I want you to be the
only hand I will
ever hold."