Anxiety
Researchers examined the effects of a single 30-minute foot reflexology session on patients receiving breast or lung cancer treatment in a small trial [3] from 2000. In comparison to individuals who did not receive any reflexology treatments, those who did so reported lower levels of anxiety.
In a somewhat larger trial from 2014, practitioners of foot reflexology treated patients having heart surgery a 20-minute session once daily for four days.
They discovered that those who underwent reflexology therapy experienced noticeably less anxiety than those who did not. For most people, being touched by another human being is a soothing, kind, and anxiety-reducing experience.