Being in a relationship can be one of the most wonderful things you've ever experienced. Love is full of emotions and whether they're happy or sad, at the end of the day, you'll be glad to have your partner in your life. While it is already known that having that special someone in your life can make you feel better no matter how bad you have it, what most people didn't know was that even if you have a passively present romantic partner, it can help reduce pain.
A new study has found that even the passive presence of a partner can help reduce pain. Empathy from your partner can help dissolve your distress and can make you feel better instantaneously. Now, when we say passively present partner, this means someone majorly without physical contact. So, say you're in a long-distance relationship, just talking to your partner or even just getting a text from your partner can help reduce stress levels when you're in pain.
For the study, 48 heterosexual people were surveyed. Each participant was tested alone and in the passive presence of their partner to see how well the participant would fare to emotional distress. It was found that when partners were present in a passive form, participants (both men and women) exhibited higher pain tolerance as well as lower sensory and affective pain ratings. It proved that the presence of partners helped the participants tolerate pain better.
“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. This shows that even when people are in long distance relationships where they can’t talk very often or see each other often, just knowing that their partner is there for them is enough for people to fight hurdles. So, the next time you feel like things aren’t going right, grab your phone and text your partner. You’ll see just how better you’ll feel later. Stay tuned for more updates.
