Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels: An ecological momentary assessment study
Background:. Affectionate touch, which is vital for mental and physical health, was restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated the association between momentary affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol in everyday life during the p...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
30 May 2023
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| In: |
eLife
Year: 2023, Volume: 12, Pages: 1-18 |
| ISSN: | 2050-084X |
| DOI: | 10.7554/eLife.81241 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.81241
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| Author Notes: | Ekaterina Schneider, Dora Hopf, Corina Aguilar-Raab, Dirk Scheele, Andreas B Neubauer, Uta Sailer, René Hurlemann, Monika Eckstein, Beate Ditzen |
| Summary: | Background:. Affectionate touch, which is vital for mental and physical health, was restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated the association between momentary affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol in everyday life during the pandemic. Methods:. In the first step, we measured anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness and attitudes toward social touch in a large cross-sectional online survey (N = 1050). From this sample, N = 247 participants completed ecological momentary assessments over 2 days with six daily assessments by answering smartphone-based questions on affectionate touch and momentary mental state, and providing concomitant saliva samples for cortisol and oxytocin assessment. Results:. Multilevel models showed that on a within-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased self-reported anxiety, general burden, stress, and increased oxytocin levels. On a between-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased cortisol levels and higher happiness. Moreover, individuals with a positive attitude toward social touch experiencing loneliness reported more mental health problems. Conclusions:. Our results suggest that affectionate touch is linked to higher endogenous oxytocin in times of pandemic and lockdown and might buffer stress on a subjective and hormonal level. These findings might have implications for preventing mental burden during social contact restrictions. Funding:. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation, the German Psychological Society, and German Academic Exchange Service. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 04.01.2024 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2050-084X |
| DOI: | 10.7554/eLife.81241 |