Named the simplest way to beat stress without medication

Scientists from the University of California, Davis have found that sharing positive emotions with a partner can reduce stress hormone levels and have a long-lasting beneficial effect on the body. The results of the study were published in the journal Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP).

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Lenta.ru, the study involved 321 elderly couples from Canada and Germany. Throughout the week, participants reported their emotional state several times a day - how happy, calm, or interested they felt - and provided saliva samples to measure cortisol levels. Almost 24 thousand measurements were collected in total. Data analysis showed that when partners simultaneously experienced positive emotions, cortisol levels decreased significantly more than in cases when joy was experienced separately. Moreover, this effect persisted throughout the day, helping the body remain in a state of calm and reducing physiological stress.

The authors noted that the positive effect of shared emotions manifested regardless of the degree of relationship satisfaction. Even couples with less harmonious connections felt the calming effect. As lead author Tomiko Yoneda emphasized, experiencing joy together is one of the simplest and most natural forms of taking care of one's health.