Dr Pavel Goldstein, a postdoctoral pain researcher in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder was inspired to conduct the research after witnessing the birth of his daughter four years ago.
His team found that when an empathetic partner holds the hand of a woman in pain, their heart and respiratory rates sync and her pain dissipates.
Dr Goldstein said: "The more empathetic the partner, the stronger the analgesic effect and the higher the synchronisation between the two when they are touching."
Researchers examined 22 couples as part of the study into "interpersonal synchronisation" where individuals begin to physiologically mirror the people they are with.
The phenomenon is seen everyday when people sync their footsteps with the person they're walking with or adjust their posture to mirror a friend's during conversation.
Dr Goldstein's study is the first to explore interpersonal synchronisation in the context of pain and touch.
He hope it can inform the discussion as health care providers seek opioid-free pain relief options.
The 22 heterosexual couples, between the age of 23 and 32, were put them through a series of tests aimed at mimicking a delivery-room scenario.
The couples either sat together, not touching; sat together holding hands; or sat in separate rooms and repeated all three scenarios as the woman was subjected to a mild heat pain on her forearm for two minutes.
The study found when the couples were allowed to hold hands they synced and the pain decreased.