Doing this for 20 seconds a day can relieve stress and anxiety
What's the science behind meditation?
A devoted meditator, Eli Susman wanted to deepen his practice, and his meditation journey took him across the world. He spent a month at Plum Village, a mindfulness practice center in southern France run by Buddhist monks focused on honing the art of mindful living.
Susman expected to spend most of the retreat in hours-long meditation sessions, but to his surprise, he found the schedule only allotted 30 minutes of formal meditation practice.
Used to much longer meditation sessions, Susman began to shift his mindset after laterspeaking with one of the monks. Instead of three hours of meditating, the monk advised him that three breaths were all it took to tune in to the present moment.
“This struck me,” Susman told CNN. “What if three breaths or about 20 seconds is really enough to make a difference in people’s lives?”
Susman, now a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, tested his theory in a study published in April in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy. He sought to find out whether a quick moment of self-compassionate touch — soothing yourself through physical contact — could induce similar mental health benefits as meditation, which usually requires more time and commitment.
Self-compassionate touch, which can be practiced anywhere, can include stroking the upper arms like a hug.
The study showed a single 20-second session of self-compassionate touch significantly reduced stress, increased kindness to the participant and improved mental well-being. The effects on mental health were greater among people who performed this micropractice daily than those who did not practice as often.
“In this touch-deprived society, we can offer ourselves the same kindness and compassion we so freely give to others,” Susman said. “It’s right at our fingertips.”
This study builds on a 2021 study by German researchers that showed 20 seconds of self-compassionate touch lowered cortisol levels after people underwent a stress-inducing task.
Brief daily touches improved people’s well-being
The latest study measured how college students — often busy juggling school, work and extracurricular activities — felt about themselves in the current moment. The study participants were randomly assigned to watch a video about how to perform self-compassionate touch or finger-tapping. Finger-tapping involved bringing the index finger and thumb together to touch, which served as the control group. College students did one of the two practices for 20 seconds a day for one month and were then asked to rate their emotional well-being.
College students reported a difference in self-compassion immediately after the first 20-second self-compassionate session. After one month of daily practice, college students reported higher levels of self-compassion, less stress and better mental health than those in the finger-tapping group.
“It’s an interesting but not surprising study,” said Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychology director of Comprehend the Mind in New York City who was not involved in the study.
“Performing this short-lived, self-compassionate touch daily was highly effective, almost as if you were seeing a therapist long term.”
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