Spotlight on Research – Affectionate Touch Boosts Well-being

In honour of Valentine’s Day, we present a study by Schneider et al. (2023), which looked at how small moments of affectionate or social touch (from someone the participant knew, in a non-sexual context) shaped people’s well-being during the pandemic.

Even with all the social distancing, those tiny sparks of connection made a real difference in enhancing health. Their findings indicated that people who experienced more affectionate touch reported less stress and anxiety, more happiness, and even showed hormonal shifts linked to bonding (higher oxytocin) and lower stress (lower cortisol).

So, as Valentine’s Day rolls around, consider this your science-backed nudge: affectionate touch isn’t just sweet, it’s good for you. A warm hug or handhold might be a small gesture, but it can have powerful effects on your mental health.

You can find out more at:

Schneider, E., Hopf, D., Aguilar-Raab, C., Scheele, D., Neubauer, A. B., Sailer, U., Hurlemann, R., Eckstein, M., & Ditzen, B. (2023). Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels: An ecological momentary assessment study. eLife, 12, Article e81241. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.81241