Pain perception and physiological responses are modulated by active support from a romantic partner

As social animals, humans are strongly affected by social bonds and interpersonal interactions. Proximity and social support from significant others may buffer the negative outcomes of a painful experience. Several studies have investigated the role of romantic partners' support in pain modulation, mostly focusing on tactile support and showing its effectiveness in reducing pain perception. Nevertheless, no study so far has investigated the role of supportive speaking on pain modulation, nor has compared the effects of a tactile and vocal support within the same couples. The present study directly compared for the first time the efficacy of mere presence (Passive Support) and different forms of active (Touch, Voice, Touch + Voice) support from a romantic partner during a painful experience in a naturalistic setting. We assessed pain modulation in 37 romantic couples via both subjective (self-reported ratings) and physiological (skin conductance) measurements. We found that all three types of active support were equally more effective than passive support in reducing the painful experience at both subjective and physiological levels; interestingly, our results suggest that supportive speaking can reduce pain perception with respect to passive support to a similar extent as tactile support does. Overall, this study highlights the relevance of an active support in reducing pain perception, with active types of support being more effective than passive support, regardless of its specific modality.