© ryflip / FotoliaFriendships may really help take the pain away, research shows.
People with more friends have higher pain tolerance, Oxford University researchers have found.
Katerina Johnson, a doctoral student in the University's Department of Experimental Psychology, was studying whether differences in our neurobiology may help explain why some of us have larger social networks than others.
She said: 'I was particularly interested in a chemical in the brain called endorphin. Endorphins are part of our pain and pleasure circuitry -- they're our body's natural painkillers and also give us feelings of pleasure. Previous studies have suggested that
endorphins promote social bonding in both humans and other animals. One theory, known as 'the brain opioid theory of social attachment', is that social interactions trigger positive emotions when endorphin binds to opioid receptors in the brain. This gives us that feel-good factor that we get from seeing our friends.
'To test this theory, we relied on the fact that
endorphin has a powerful pain-killing effect -- stronger even than morphine.'The researchers therefore used pain tolerance as a way to assess the brain's endorphin activity. If the theory was correct, people with larger social networks would have higher pain tolerance, and this was what their study found.
Friendships may really help take the pain away!
Comment: Since our
relationships with others form such an important part of our lives, being able to form intimate and meaningful relationships becomes of paramount importance. Engaging the vagus nerve is one of the best ways to help improve social communication and bonding. Vagus nerve stimulation releases hormones such as prolactin, vasopressin and oxytocin which are anti-stress and social-bonding hormones. Oxytocin is known as the 'cuddle hormone', so it is no wonder that the vagus nerve has been called the 'nerve of compassion'. In fact, the vagus nerve is intertwined with neural networks involved in pro-social and empathetic communication, involving muscle groups that are related in care-taking. Oxytocin is intimately involved in the experience of trust and love.
The breathing and meditation techniques of the
Éiriú Eolas program are geared towards stimulating the vagus nerve. Visit the Éiriú Eolas
site to learn more about the scientific background of this program and then try it out for yourselves, free of charge.
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