Intimacy may defend couples against stress

In general, the researchers found, the more physical affection couples reported in a given day, the lower their cortisol levels.

Importantly, Ditzen noted, the results suggest that intimacy worked its magic by boosting study participants' mood.

Ditzen told Reuters Health that she would not recommend that couples "express more intimacy, per se," but instead they should find activities that create positive feelings for both partners.

For couples who do want to fire up their physical intimacy, though, there is a range of ways to do it, according to Ditzen. She pointed out that "intimacy" meant different things to different couples in the study; to some it was sex, to some it was an affectionate touch.

"This means that there is no specific behavior that couples should show in everyday life," Ditzen said. "Rather, all kinds of behavior which couples themselves would consider intimate...might be beneficial."

SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, October 2008.