Happy couples have lower salivary cortisol levels

Couples who spend more time hugging and kissing have lower levels of stress hormones in their bodies, new research suggests.

A Swiss study has found proof that intimacy improves psychological health – but you need to have a close relationship, preferably a marriage, to benefit.

Researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland studied 51 mostly married German couples for one week, and found those who reported more physical contact, from holding hands to sexual intercourse, had lower levels of the so-called stress hormone, cortisol, in their saliva.

Cortisol is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body and is secreted in higher levels during the body’s fight or flight response to stress.

The finding, reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, found that couples who reported more problems at work had the biggest drop in levels of the hormone through intimacy.

Lead author Dr Beate Ditzen said intimacy was thought to improve hormone levels simply by boosting mood.

But she stressed that couples should not race to express more intimacy as such, but rather find things to do together that create positive feelings for both partners.

Intimacy means different things for different couples, Dr Ditzen said.

"This means that there is no specific behaviour that couples should show in everyday life," she said.

"Rather, all kinds of behaviour which couples themselves would consider intimate. . . might be beneficial."

Did you know that you can easily test for the stress hormone at home yourself? Salivary hormone testing is so easy, reliable, accurate and convenient. Please contact us for further information regarding salivary testing of cortisol/DHEAs, and we can explain the procedure and even help to refer you to a practitioner who does this test in New Zealand.

Regards,

Eric Bakker ND