Nutrition Nugget: Holding Hands

[00:00:27] So this week's episode we talked about my new book, uncomplicating Wellness. In the book, there's a chapter called Just Hug a Person, and it's really about the importance of connection. And we've also talked about connection and community as one of the key longevity factors in the episode. The longevity equation.

[00:01:10] So much. So I wanted to look at some of the research now. I think maybe most interesting. There's a study from Harvard that began in 1938. It is still ongoing. They started with 724 participants, and it now includes three generations with more than 1300 descendants. So they looked at the impact of connection and more specifically secure connections across every phase of life, every decade.

[00:02:14] So I was reading this study and I was thinking like. We do this all the time instinctually. Think about when someone's laying in a hospital bed, what do you do? It's like human instinct to take their hand, and that's when I'm like, okay, human nature just fascinates me. And then we think about this innate thing about holding hands.

[00:03:01] So how does it work that holding hands can manage emotions, minimize stress, decrease pain? So one thought is that it connects to the vagus nerve. We've talked about the vagus nerve before. So the vagus nerve is the literal connection between the gut and the brain. The skin of the hands is highly sensitive, so pressure on the skin of the hands stimulates what's called sian corpus soles.

[00:03:54] The vagus nerve also interacts because it runs from the [00:04:00] brain to the gut. It interacts with all of our largest organs, so it also connects to the heart with blood pressure and digestion in the gut and all of these things. So. More research. So there was a study from 2015 published in Frontiers in Psychology titled Self-Soothing Behaviors with particular reference to Oxytocin release induced by Non Noxious Sensory Stimulation.

[00:04:48] For those of you who can see this, it lights up that part of the brain behind the eyes. It's the same part of the brain that lights up when we taste something sweet like chocolate. It's the same part of the brain that [00:05:00] lights up when we smell something pleasant. So we add a nutrition nugget on hugs.

[00:05:32] That group of people had lowered blood pressure and heart rate during the test compared to the people who didn't. And then there was another study, it was published in behavioral medicine that looked specifically at blood pressure. So they had two groups. So one group of people had to hold hands while watching a romantic video for 10 minutes and then have a 22nd hug.

[00:06:14] You know, people would rather die than, you know, speak in public. So then. On the physical pain thing, there are studies that look at not just physical pain, but even emotional pain and our emotional state. So one study had people holding hands with their significant other while watching a horror movie, and the movie had less of an impact on their physiology.

[00:07:16] That almost like when we hold someone's hand, like when we hold the hand of a loved one. Especially in a difficult time, there's a gesture that signals you are sharing that burden with them, even if you're not actually taking anything on. There's like this subconscious communication, and so I think all of this is really just evidence of the importance of connection.

[00:07:56] He said, if you really understand handholding. [00:08:00] What it is and how it has its effects. You begin to understand just about every single facet of what it is to be a human being. It expresses all the things that we are for each other. And then he developed what he calls the social baseline theory that essentially it is a social baseline to be connected.

[00:08:46] So, Lori, Ronnie, thoughts, anything you wanna share? Any

[00:09:11] I love it. Gt.

[00:09:28] Totally.

[00:09:51] Like there is a piece of. Some sort of calming and stress release like because you get like warmth and [00:10:00] comfort from holding your own hand, but it's still not the same. So even for the single people out there, you're fine. You know you can hold hands with people. Well, there you have it everybody. That is the health benefits of holding hands.

[00:10:38] Click the link in the episode notes below. Pick up your copy of Uncomplicated Wellness. Ditch the rules, quiet the Noise, reclaim your life. Caroline, Ronnie, Pam, Lori, thank you. Thank you again for joining me for this, for being incredible early readers and part of our book launch team. I am so grateful for each of you,

[00:11:00] Congratulations.

[00:11:22] You'll get this week's recipe for the ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet. Well Friends. That's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform.