After conducting an experiment, researchers at the University of Northumbria (United Kingdom) have concluded that giving your partner a massage can increase not only their well-being, but also yours . These results were recently presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society, held in Brighton (England).
Sayuri Naruse, principal investigator of this study together with Dr. Mark Moss, explains that “the benefits of receiving a massage from a professional are well documented, but this research shows that a similar result can be obtained if it is your partner who gives it to you , even with little previous training and no experience in this activity ”.
But how did they come to that conclusion? They recruited a total of 38 people and had them complete a massage course that lasted for three weeks. Their well-being was evaluated through questionnaires before and after the massage sessions on eight areas of physical and mental well-being, stress and satisfaction in the couple.
The massage course had a positive impact on the well-being of the couples and their perceived stress; and none of these effects decreased significantly in the three weeks after the data collection period ended.
Couples reported that their physical and emotional well-being had significantly improved at the conclusion of each massage session. And, what is more curious, this improvement occurred both in the case of those who received the massage and those who gave it. Of the couples who took part in the study, 91% said they would recommend mutual massages to their friends and family, and 74% continued to do so after the course was over.
“These findings demonstrate that massage can be a simple and effective way for couples to improve their physical and mental well-being while showing affection for one another,” added Naruse. “Massage is an effective and pleasant intervention that not only works in a therapeutic setting , but can also easily be incorporated into a couple’s daily routine,” he concludes.
