» 7 Reasons Why We Should Be Giving More Hugs «

Admit it: Nothing gives you comfort quite like a warm hug.
Whether you're wrapped up in the arms of your partner or greeting a friend
hello, hugs have a way of making us feel warm and fuzzy inside. But aside
from making us feel protected and loved, this touching gesture can also do
wonders for our well-being. So whether it's a simple squeeze, a big bear hug
or some cute cuddling -- there are plenty of reasons why we should embrace
the act of, well, embracing someone. Below, find seven reasons why we should
be giving more hugs.
They make us feel good.
The simple act of a hug isn't just felt on our arms. When we embrace
someone, oxytocin (also known as "the cuddle hormone" is released,
making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The chemical has also been linked
to social bonding. "Oxytocin is a neuropeptide, which basically promotes
feelings of devotion, trust and bonding," DePauw University psychologist Matt
Hertenstein told NPR. "It really lays the biological foundation and structure for
connecting to other people."
More hugs = lower blood pressure.
The hormones that are released in the body after a hug aren't just good for
happy feelings -- they can also help your physical health. When someone
touches you, the sensation on your skin activates pressure receptors called
Pacinian corpuscles, which then send signals to the vagus nerve, an area of
the brain that is responsible for (among many things) lowering blood pressure,
NPR reported.
They may alleviate our fears.
In a study on fears and self-esteem, research published in the journal
Psychological Science revealed that hugs and touch significantly reduce worry
of mortality. The studies found that hugging -- even if it was just an inatimate
object like a teddy bear -- helps soothe individuals' existential fears. "Even
fleeting and seemingly trivial instances of interpersonal touch may help people
to deal more effectively with existential concern," lead researcher Sander Koole
wrote in the study. "Interpersonal touch is such a powerful mechanism that
even objects that simulate touch by another person may help to instill in
people a sense of existential significance."
Hugging can be good for our hearts.
Embracing someone may warm your heart, but according to one study a hug
can be good medicine for it too: In an experiment at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill , participants who didn't have any contact with their
partners developed a quickened heart rate of 10 beats per minute compared to
the five beats per minute among those who got to hug their partners during
the experiment.
Adults can benefit from hugging the most.
According to researchers at Ohio State University, hugging and physical touch
becomes increasingly important with age. "The older you are, the more fragile
you are physically, so contact becomes increasingly important for good
health," University psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser told USA TODAY. Studies
have shown that loneliness, particularly with age, can also increase stress and
have averse health effects. By hugging someone, we instantly feel closer to
that person and decrease feelings of loneliness.
Hugs are a natural stress reliever.
Feeling strung out? Go give someone a squeeze. When we embrace, we
immediately reduce the amount of the stress hormone cortisol produced in our
bodies. Hugs also make our bodies release tension and send calming
messages to the brain.
Well-hugged babies are less stressed as adults.
Want to do something for future generations? Hug them when they're still
little. An Emory University study in rats found a link between touch and
relieving stress, particularly in the early stages of life. The research concluded
that the same can be said of humans, citing that babies' development --
including how they cope with stress as adults -- depends on a combination of
nature and nurture.