There’s a reason you grabbed your man’s hand in the final scene of The Ring. A study in the journal Psychological Science reveals that holding your hubby’s hand helps combat stress.

In a study of 16 couples, researchers used an MRI machine o monitor the wives’ brains while under threat of electric shock. The women held either a stranger’s hand, their spouse’s, or no one’s.

“Any hand holding caused the distressed brain to relax,” says study author Dr Jim Coan. “But holding a spouse’s hand caused less activity in brain regions that regulate the release of stress hormones.”

The deeper the intimacy between a husband and wife, the more his touch calmed her. Next time you’re frazzled, a little human contact will quiet your nerves.