Benefits of Hugging

                         

We are going into Valentine's Day, so what better month to give lots of hugs!

There are so many benefits of hugs! This is an action that, when given or received, positively impacts your physical and mental health.

Have you ever thought about the benefits of hugs? Surely when you hug someone or receive some you feel happy or, in some cases, liberated. The truth is that the benefits of this beautiful and warm action go further and this has been proven by science.

We hug others when we’re excited, happy, sad, or trying to comfort them. Hugging, it seems, is universally comforting. It makes us feel good. And it turns out that hugging is proven to make us healthier and happier.

According to scientists, the benefits of hugging go beyond that warm feeling you get when you hold someone in your arms.

When a friend or family member is dealing with something painful or unpleasant in their lives, give them a hug.

Scientists say that giving another person support through touch can reduce the stress of the person being comforted. It can even reduce the stress of the person doing the comforting

In one studyTrusted Source of twenty heterosexual couples, men were given unpleasant electric shocks. During the shocks, each woman held the arm of her partner.

Researchers found that the parts of each woman’s brain associated with stress showed reduced activity while those parts associated with the rewards of maternal behavior showed more activity. When we hug someone to comfort them, these parts of our brain may show a similar response.

The stress-reducing effects of hugging might also work to keep you healthier.

In a study of over 400 adults, researchers found that hugging may reduce the chance a person will get sick. The participants with a greater support system were less likely to get sick. And those with a greater support system who did get sick had less severe symptoms than those with little or no support system.

Hugging can be good for your heart health. In one studyTrusted Source, scientists split a group of about 200 adults into two groups:

One group had romantic partners hold hands for 10 minutes followed by a 20-second hug with each other. The other group had romantic partners who sat in silence for 10 minutes and 20 seconds. People in the first group showed greater reductions in blood pressure levels and heart rate than the second group. According to these findings, an affectionate relationship may be good for your heart health.

Oxytocin is a chemical in our bodies that scientists sometimes call the “cuddle hormone.” This is because its levels rise when we hug, touch, or sit close to someone else. Oxytocin is associated with happiness and less stress.

Scientists have found that this hormone has a strong effect on women. Oxytocin causes a reduction in blood pressure and of the stress hormone norepinephrine.

One study found that the positive benefits of oxytocin were strongest in women who had better relationships and more frequent hugs with their romantic partners. Women also saw the positive effects of oxytocin when they held their infants closely.

So, if you want to feel better about yourself, reduce your stress, improve communication, and be happier and healthier, it seems that giving and asking for more hugs is a good place to start.

If you feel nervous about seeking out more hugs, start by asking for them from friends and family members closest to you first.

Science proves that regular hugs with those closest to you, even if brief, can have especially positive effects on your brain and body.