Social contact promotes health and well-being122,123. An fMRI study of married women demonstrated that holding hands with their husband attenuated neural responses to the threat of receiving a shock, a response that was proportional to the quality of their relationship124. As discussed above, social competence and openness to social support are core characteristics of resilient individuals, and these qualities might help to modulate central responses to stress in these individuals. The effects of social contact on neural responses to threat, and the potential involvement of neuropeptides that promote social attachment, warrants direct investigation in resilient individuals.
