Researchers revealed that, at least for women, the touch or sight of a partner seems to anaesthetise them. Even a photograph of their loved one is enough to have an effect.
The discovery was made by psychologists at the University of California and "underscores the importance of social relationships and staying socially connected", they reported.
The 25 volunteers were mostly students who had been in a good relationship with their boyfriends for at least six months.
Tests revealed that if the young women were given a mild burn, they felt less discomfort by looking at photos of their boyfriends.
A similar anaesthetising effect was found if they held hands with their partners when "moderately painful heat stimuli" was applied to their forearms.
Researcher Naomi Eisenberger, an assistant professor of psychology involved in the study, said: "When the women were just looking at pictures of their partner, they actually reported less pain to the heat stimuli than when they were looking at pictures of an object or pictures of a stranger.
