Self-Soothing Touch Reduces Momentary Stress, Fatigue, and Loneliness Comparable to Brief Meditation: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Franziska Maier, Ina Luttenberger, Aljoscha Dreisoerner, Bence Szaszkó
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress February 2026 DOI: 10.1002/smi.70145 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | Chronically stressed individuals (mean age 22.2 years; 81% female) |
| Interventions | Self-soothing touch Meditation |
| Duration | 14-day intervention, 4-week follow-up |
| Measures | Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), retrospective self-reports |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Ecological momentary assessment Fatigue Loneliness Self‐soothing touch Stress |
| Key findings | Both SST and meditation significantly reduced momentary stress, fatigue, and loneliness from pre- to post-session, with no significant group differences. SST, but not meditation, decreased pre-session fatigue across the intervention period, with stronger reductions among individuals higher in attachment avoidance. Neither intervention affected retrospective measures. |
Abstract
Chronic stress has well-documented adverse effects on physical and psychological health. Beyond contributing to the development of fatigue, its impact is intensified by social stressors such as loneliness, making the development of effective interventions crucial. Our randomised controlled trial therefore investigated whether a 14-day self-soothing touch (SST) intervention reduces stress, fatigue, and loneliness compared to a minimal-instruction meditation control in 78 chronically stressed individuals (MAge = 22.2 years; 81% female). We assessed acute (change pre-to-post session) and cumulative effects (across days) using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), while also collecting retrospective self-reports at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-week follow-up. For EMA outcomes, we additionally tested moderation by attachment anxiety and avoidance. Using linear mixed-effects models, both SST and meditation significantly reduced momentary stress (SST: b = -0.41, SE = 0.08, t = -4.79, p < 0.001; Control: b = -0.56, SE = 0.09, t = -6.43, p < 0.001), as well as fatigue (pSST < 0.001, pControl < 0.001) and loneliness (pSST ≤ 0.011, pcontrol = 0.004) from pre-to-post session, with no significant group differences (all ps ≥ 0.212). SST but not meditation yielded a decrease in pre-session fatigue across the intervention period (b = -0.06, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001), with stronger reductions among individuals higher in attachment avoidance. In contrast, neither intervention had effects on retrospective measures (all ps ≥ 0.117). Overall, SST emerged as a feasible and accessible approach, comparable to brief meditation in reducing stress, fatigue, and loneliness, with additional benefits particularly for those high in attachment avoidance.