They published it in the prestigious journal Science Advances under the title \u201cSocial Physiology: Human homeostasis is more efficient in social proximity.\u201d The research was led by HUJI Prof. Shir Atzil and her PhD student Monia Masalha, with Dr. Shai Fuchs from Sheba. They and six students in her lab worked on the project for three years.<\/p>\n
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A schnitzel meal at Oscar’s, in Tel Aviv. (credit: LAUREN GUMPORT)<\/p>\n
They call this principle \u201csocial physiology\u201d: the human body regulates itself more efficiently in the presence of social partners. \u201cWe used to think of the body as an isolated system that regulates itself,\u201d Atzil told The Jerusalem Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings show that human physiology is inherently social. Being close to someone you love lowers the physical energy your body spends on regulating itself. This gives us a direct metabolic benefit to being together and reveals a core evolutionary reason why humans form bonds in the first place: our bodies run better together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In their article, they noted: \u201cThis discovery has two key implications; the first concerns evolution. Although attachment theory and social neuroscience have provided valuable insights into how close relationships are formed and maintained, they don\u2019t resolve a central paradox.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are social animals motivated to invest considerable cognitive and physical effort, and accept risks of competition, conflict, and aggression to engage in social interactions?\u2026 Addressing this discrepancy requires identifying immediate gains that make social interaction worthwhile in the moment yet can also accumulate into long-term fitness benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atzil asserted that \u201cwhat we discovered was not known at all. Nobody else has studied it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benefits of social proximity<\/p>\n
The experiment consisted of a standardized carbohydrate-meal test, in which participants consumed 50 grams of carbohydrates contained in 102 gr. of a standardized white-wheat bread. Their glucose levels after eating were sampled over 120 minutes.<\/p>\n
The effect even extended beyond blood sugar. Social proximity also improved temperature regulation during cold exposure and reduced stress responses in adults and infants. The benefits appeared even without physical touch and were not explained by reduced stress. Across preregistered experiments, the evidence suggests that social physiology is a domain-general principle of human physiology.<\/p>\n
At a time when blood sugar regulation is a growing global health concern, the findings suggest that metabolic health may be shaped not only by what is on the plate, but also by who is at the table.<\/p>\n