Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

Research Shows That Hugs Help Protect Against Stress. Can Hugs Help You Fight a Cold?

Research Shows That Hugs Help Protect Against Stress. Can Hugs Help You Fight a Cold?

I love Thursday nights. On Thursday nights I meet with the group of friends for a Current Events and Hot Topics Discussion Group. We have been meeting for many years so we greet each other with warm welcoming hugs. As I said I love those hugs. Below is the latest research on the health benefits of hugging.

When I taught body language at Florida State my students called me Dr. Hugs (I had not gotten my PHD) because after my lectures on the benefits of touch they might open up their arms to give or get a hug from myself and fellow students. Today, I fear I might get in trouble for encouraging warm, nonthreatening hugs on campus. That’s a shame as recent research shows that hugs can be beneficial to our health. My original doctoral dissertation was on touch, so I am always searching for and reading the latest research on the benefits of touch and my book SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma Book Website has a chapter on hugging and has more information on my Website.

Here is the latest research on the health benefits of hugging.

Date: December 17, 2014

Source: Carnegie Mellon University

Summary:

Researchers tested whether hugs act as a form of social support, protecting stressed people from getting sick. They found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.

Mother hugging her daughter (stock image). Researchers found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.

Credit: © De Visu / Fotolia

Instead of an apple, could a hug-a-day keep the doctor away? According to new research from Carnegie Mellon University, that may not be that far-fetched of an idea.

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Led by Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty University Professor of Psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the researchers tested whether hugs act as a form of social support, protecting stressed people from getting sick. Published in Psychological Science, they found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.

Cohen and his team chose to study hugging as an example of social support because hugs are typically a marker of having a more intimate and close relationship with another person.

"We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety," said Cohen. "We tested whether perceptions of social support are equally effective in protecting us from stress-induced susceptibility to infection and also whether receiving hugs might partially account for those feelings of support and themselves protect a person against infection."

In 404 healthy adults, perceived support was assessed by a questionnaire, and frequencies of interpersonal conflicts and receiving hugs were derived from telephone interviews conducted on 14 consecutive evenings. Then, the participants were intentionally exposed to a common cold virus and monitored in quarantine to assess infection and signs of illness.

The results showed that perceived social support reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing conflicts. Hugs were responsible for one-third of the protective effect of social support. Among infected participants, greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs both resulted in less severe illness symptoms whether or not they experienced conflicts.

"This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the deleterious effects of stress," Cohen said. "The apparent protective effect of hugs may be attributable to the physical contact itself or to hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and intimacy."

Cohen added, "Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection."

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and Perhaps Lead Us to Be More Adept Socially. Benefits of Touch

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and

Perhaps Lead Us to be More Adept Socially.

Benefits of Touch

While touch always involves awareness, it also sometimes involves emotion. Now, scientists describe a system of slowly conducting nerves in the skin that respond to gentle touch. Investigators are beginning to characterize these nerves and to describe the fundamental role they play in our lives as a social species. Professor McGlone believes that possessing an emotional touch system in the skin is as important to well-being and survival as having a system of nerves that protect us from harm. The work also suggests that this soft touch wiring may go awry in disorders such as autism. (By the way if you have not seen the movie about Temple Grandin a fascinating woman with Autism who has revolutionized the way we think about animals in captivity like cows, find it and watch it.)

Here is the research study.

May 21, 2014

Cell Press

The nerves that respond to gentle touch, called c-tactile afferents (CTs), are similar to those that detect pain, but they serve an opposite function: they relay events that are neither threatening nor tissue-damaging but are instead rewarding and pleasant.

Credit: © Piotr Marcinski / Fotolia

While touch always involves awareness, it also sometimes involves emotion. For example, picking up a spoon triggers no real emotion, while feeling a gentle caress often does. Now, scientists in the Cell Press journal Neuron describe a system of slowly conducting nerves in the skin that respond to such gentle touch. Using a range of scientific techniques, investigators are beginning to characterize these nerves and to describe the fundamental role they play in our lives as a social species -- from a nurturing touch to an infant to a reassuring pat on the back. Their work also suggests that this soft touch wiring may go awry in disorders such as autism.

"The evolutionary significance of such a system for a social species is yet to be fully determined," says first author Francis McGlone, PhD, of Liverpool John Moores University in England. "But recent research is finding that people on the autistic spectrum do not process emotional touch normally, leading us to hypothesize that a failure of the CT system during neurodevelopment may impact adversely on the functioning of the social brain and the sense of self."

For some individuals with autism, the light touch of certain fabrics in clothing can cause distress. Temple Grandin, an activist and assistant professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University who has written extensively on her experiences as an individual with autism, has remarked that her lack of empathy in social situations may be partially due to a lack of "comforting tactual input." (By the way if you have not seen the movie about Temple Grandin find it and watch it). Professor McGlone also notes that deficits in nurturing touch during early life could have negative effects on a range of behaviors and psychological states later in life.

Further research on CTs may help investigators develop therapies for autistic patients and individuals who lacked adequate nurturing touch as children. Also, a better understanding of how nerves that relay rewarding sensations interact with those that signal pain could provide insights into new treatments for certain types of pain.

Professor McGlone believes that possessing an emotional touch system in the skin is as important to well-being and survival as having a system of nerves that protect us from harm. "In a world where human touch is becoming more and more of a rarity with the ubiquitous increase in social media leading to non-touch-based communication, and the decreasing opportunity for infants to experience enough nurturing touch from a carer or parent due to the economic pressures of modern living, it is becoming more important to recognize just how vital emotional touch is to all humankind."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Francis McGlone, Johan Wessberg, Håkan Olausson. Discriminative and Affective Touch: Sensing and Feeling. Neuron, 2014; 82 (4): 737 DOI:10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.001

Body Language of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life & Style Magazine, By Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

Body Language Read of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life Style Magazine by Expert Patti Wood

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

I did an interview with Cosmopolitan on peoples' sleep positions. Below is the article and also the actual link to the article. At the link below you can see a picture of the couples in each position mentioned in the article.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/a34764/what-sleep-position-says-about-your-relationship/

Article on sleep positions as it appeared in Cosmopolitan:

Because your subconscious mind controls the way you sleep with your partner, sleep body language can be an amazingly accurate way to assess what's going on in your relationship — even if you can't or don't articulate those things while you're awake, says Patti Wood, a body language expert with more than 30 years of experience and author of Success Signals, A Guide to Reading Body Language.

Of course, there are always exceptions — if you are and always have been a sleep kicker, you can't blame your partner for sleeping far away from you. But when your or your partner's sleep position suddenly changes, use these clues to decode what it means:

You're the little spoon.

In this position, your partner envelops you in a way that feels simultaneously intimate and secure. Because it involves some serious butt-to-penis contact, "it's a very vulnerable position that's sexual, but says, 'I trust you,'" Wood says

You're the big spoon.

This says you're protective of your partner and maybe even a bit possessive.

You spoon a few inches apart.

New couples tend to have the most physical contact in bed, but when the novelty of bed-sharing wears off, it's common to revert to the positions that make you feel most comfortable and produce the best quality sleep, says Paul Rosenblatt, author of Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing. Sometimes, that means spooning a few inches apart. It's like the big spoon saying, "I've got your back, you can count on me," but it's not as sexual as spooning closer, Woods says.

Your partner cradles your head on his chest.

A face-up sleeping position indicates confidence and self-assurance. When your partner sleeps on his back with your head in his arms, it says, "I have the power and I'm using it to protect you," Wood says. When you, in turn, face your partner in a fetal position, it shows you depend on him. If you sleep with your head on his chest and the rest of your body sprawled out, it sends the message that you want to make decisions for yourself, Wood says.

You face each other.

When you sleep face-to-face, it's an unconscious attempt to look your partner in the eye throughout the night. If your partner suddenly starts facing you, there's a good chance he feels distant and wants to connect, or is hungry for more intimacy — especially if he presses his pelvis against yours.

You sleep on your stomachs.

Because sleeping on your stomach protects the front of your body, the position could be a sign of anxiety, vulnerability, and lack of sexual trust, Wood says. Unless there are back or neck issues, people tend to face the bed because they don't want to or are afraid to face their emotions, Wood says. If your partner suddenly starts sleeping face down, you can cozy up to make him feel more protected.

You sleep on opposite sides of the bed.

This says you're independent or have a desire to be more separate. If you're typically snuggly sleepers though, this position could be a red flag that something isn't right, whether that means stress at work or an untold secret. That said, many people start out snuggling to warm up or show affection, then gravitate toward opposite sides of the bed for a random reason — it could be because your partner has sharp toenails, kicks in his sleep, or moves around too much, or because you get hot when you sleep skin to skin, Rosenblatt says. Also worth noting: Some couples actually get along better when they stop trying so hard to snuggle all night — probably because it can enable you to sleep more soundly and without interruption, which improves your interactions the next day. If you don't like to touch while you sleep, schedule 15 minutes in the morning or at night to snuggle up and in turn strengthen your relationship, suggests Wood.

You sleep facing away from each other with your butts touching.

This position suggests you're a confident couple that appreciates your own space: The facing away from each other hints at the ability and desire to be independent, while the butt touch shows you still want to stay sexually connected, Wood says. For what it's worth, lots of people prefer to sleep facing the outside of the bed to avoid breathing face-to-face, Rosenblatt says. So this position could mean you're sick and tired of your partner's snoring (not your partner himself).

You sleep with nothing touching but your feet or legs.

Being far from the brain and the first part of your body to react in the case of a freeze, flight, fight, friend response, the feet are the most honest portion of the body, under the least conscious control, Wood says. If your partner plays footsie with you in bed, it means he craves an emotional or sexual connection.

You sleep with your legs and arms totally entwined.

When you sleep with arms and legs tangled, it's a sign that you can't get enough of each other — even while you sleep. "It means your lives are intertwined, that you function as a pair. You probably finish each other's sentences and take care of each other," Wood says.

You sleep at different distances from the headboard.

People who sleep closer to the headboard tend to feel more dominant and confident, while those who place their heads further away from it could be more subservient and have lower self-esteem, Wood says. Couples who sleep with their heads at the same level are on the same page. Heads that touch are even better: It's a sign that you have lower self-esteem, Wood says. Couples who sleep with their heads at the same like minds and know what's going on in each other's heads, Wood says.

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

I think Kanye looks so odd in the kiss photo. Kanye looks like he is leaning in, but notice that he is holding his pelvis away in a way that shows he doesn't feel a real sexual connection with Kim. Kim Kardashian’s odd downward turning smile and eyes, show she is having fun playing at the kiss, rather than in the kiss. Kanye’s fingers on her rear end are oddly splayed out and barely touching as if he wants to look like he thinks she is hot, but doesn't feel Kim is hot.

I give the photo a 3 for pretending to be passionate.

The photo of Kim in that fantastic draped coat and Kanye looking like a prisoner. Goodness his forlorn stare off in the distance and pulled down at the corners of the mouth and stiff posture, look like he is going to the gallows. See how she holds his arm but pulls back and does not lean in towards him. He does not respond or react. He looks more like a statue that she is posing with in a museum. This is truly a creepy photo.

I give it a 0.

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

“What one sense would you choose if you had to spend the rest of your life with only one sense?” That was the question last Thursday night in my hot topics discussion group. Many of us chose touch. Here is a research article on how the skin can process information previously thought to happen only in the brain.

Date: September 1, 2014 Source: Umeå University

Summary:

Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations, previously believed that only the brain could perform. A characteristic of neurons that extend into the skin and record touch, is that they branch in the skin so that each neuron reports touch from many highly-sensitive zones on the skin. According to researchers, this branching allows first-order tactile neurons not only to send signals to the brain that something has touched the skin, but also process Geometric data about the object touching the skin.

Work performed in Andrew Pruszynski's lab.

Credit: Mattias Pettersson

Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations, previously believed that only the brain could perform. This is according to a study from Umeå University in Sweden published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

A fundamental characteristic of neurons that extend into the skin and record touch, so-called first-order neurons in the tactile system, is that they branch in the skin so that each neuron reports touch from many highly-sensitive zones on the skin.

According to researchers at the Department of Integrative Medical Biology, IMB, Umeå University, this branching allows first-order tactile neurons not only to send signals to the brain that something has touched the skin, but also process geometric data about the object touching the skin.

"Our work has shown that two types of first-order tactile neurons that supply the sensitive skin at our fingertips not only signal information about when and how intensely an object is touched, but also information about the touched object's shape" says Andrew Pruszynski, who is one of the researchers behind the study.

The study also shows that the sensitivity of individual neurons to the shape of an object depends on the layout of the neuron's highly-sensitive zones in the skin.

"Perhaps the most surprising result of our study is that these peripheral neurons, which are engaged when a fingertip examines an object, perform the same type of calculations done by neurons in the cerebral cortex. Somewhat simplified, it means that our touch experiences are already processed by neurons in the skin before they reach the brain for further processing" says Andrew Pruszynski.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Umeå University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. J Andrew Pruszynski, Roland S Johansson. Edge-orientation processing in first-order tactile neurons. Nature Neuroscience, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3804

Morning Goodbye Rituals for Couples, Patti's Video Tips

Morning Goodbye Rituals for Couples

Patti's Video Tips

Body Language Tips for how to say goodbye each morning to your spouse.

Below is the link:

http://youtu.be/3ZaAS3yWcOw

When anyone you love leaves your presence for any reason, for any destination or for any period of time, don't ever just casually say goodbye. As you part, remember in your heart what your relationship means to you, always remembering that this could be the last time you might see each other. When you are given the blessing of their return, welcome that opportunity as the gift it is, another chance to live the relationship as you want it to become.

If you treat every leaving and greeting ritual with that kind of treasuring, you will also receive a wonderful bonus. The conscious intent to treasure saying "goodbye" and "hello" with the gratitude that should accompany both becomes the foundation for extending that appreciation to other parts of your relationship. With each fully appreciated reconnection, you are reminded to recommit to more successful interactions in the future and to leaving less helpful ones behind.

I have created a video with tips on goodbye rituals for couples.

Below is the link:

http://youtu.be/3ZaAS3yWcOw

True North - How to Tell if Someone is Lying

Body Language Expert and Professional Speaker Patti Wood shares a simple way to help develop your ability to tell if someone is lying. This is a body language method to detect lies. A technique to quickly and accurately tell if someone is lying.

Below is the video:
http://youtu.be/QQw4PCi18i0

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Gamesmanship Gender Difference in Handshakes

Why is it important to shake hands at the beginning and end of interactions? There are significant gender based differences in Handshakes. Body Language Expert, professional speaker, and author Patti Wood discusses how to reduce conflict with a handshake.

I created this video to give you tips on gamesmanship gender differences in handshakes.

Below is the video:
http://youtu.be/QycXmwSz1PU

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

"Tie Signs" How Do You Know If He Likes You? Body Language and Attraction Tie Signs

I just did an interview for Cosmopolitan magazine on attraction signals. One set of body language cues that can show liking and attraction are tie signs.

A man touching you affectionately when you are in public spaces can serve as a ‘tie sign’ that shows others that you are his partner and or that you are “taken.” When a man reaches out to hold hands, puts his arm around you, puts his hand on the center of your lower back to guide and protect you, he his giving you and others ‘tie signs’ showing others that you are together. The use of ‘tie signs’ is used more often by couples in the dating and courtship stages than between their married counterparts according to Burgoon, Buller, and Woodall.

Studies have also shown gender difference in who touches when. In the initial stages of a relationship, men often follow gender roles and go first, touching first and most often. Men tend to touch more and after initial touch in casual relationships and as the relationship became more intimate during serious dating. American culture still dictates that men make the first move.

Do be careful of any signal that indicates the man possesses you as an object rather than a desire to link his body with yours in a way that shows connection. Puff Daddy often takes his arm and holds a woman around her back and neck and lets his hand dangle in front. The arm around shows ownership with the dangling hand rather than hand touching and or gently cupping her arm shows a desire to overwhelm rather than tenderness.

Video Tips of What To Do If You Don't Want To Shake Hands

Video Tips To Learn
What To Do If Don’t Want to Shake Hands
Handshake Alternative

Body Language Expert Patti Wood gives techniques for avoiding a handshake if you are concerned about germs and cold and want to avoid shaking hands.

By Patti Wood MA, CSP is a Professional Speaker Author and Coach.

Here is the video:

http://youtu.be/klkOHEzRUps

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

Search This Blog

Research Shows That Hugs Help Protect Against Stress. Can Hugs Help You Fight a Cold?

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and Perhaps Lead Us to Be More Adept Socially. Benefits of Touch

Body Language of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life & Style Magazine, By Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

Morning Goodbye Rituals for Couples, Patti's Video Tips

True North - How to Tell if Someone is Lying

True North - How to Tell if Someone is Lying

Gamesmanship Gender Difference in Handshakes

Gamesmanship Gender Difference in Handshakes

"Tie Signs" How Do You Know If He Likes You? Body Language and Attraction Tie Signs

"Tie Signs" How Do You Know If He Likes You? Body Language and Attraction Tie Signs

Video Tips of What To Do If You Don't Want To Shake Hands

Body Language Read of Iggy Azalea & Nick Young - Are They On The Rocks?

Body Language Read of Iggy Azalea & Nick Young - Are They On The Rocks?

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