It may feel like an indulgence, but getting a good back rub is actually a smart in- vestment in your brain. Studies show that after a massage, people were more alert and able to solve problems faster—in some cases, twice as fast! Massage also helps you relax and get a good night’s sleep, which is critical in maintaining brain health. A recent meta-analysis of the literature shows that massage therapy can keep depression at bay, and several other studies support the idea that massage can reduce anxiety. It is well known that massage helps lift your mood. It stimulates your brain to release dopamine and oxytocin, two of the feel-good brain drugs your body produces to help stabilize mood. At the same time, massage seems to dampen the production of cortisol—the stress hormone. Some research shows that the part of your brain associated with feeling happy is more active during a massage.
In general, a shorter rub helps sharpen your attention. If you need to be on your A game, a fifteen-minute back rub might be just the ticket. A longer, slower mas- sage is more suited to helping you relax and ward off insomnia. It takes about fif- teen minutes of rubbing for the feel-good drugs to start percolating in your brain. And while a one-time massage provides you with positive effects, the benefits are cumulative. This means the more you do it, the better it is for your brain. This is particularly true of the mood-enhancing benefits of massage—it is easier to maintain your positive state of mind if you get a regular massage.