The Power And Health Benefits Of Hugs

“We need 4 hugs a day to survive. We need 8 hugs a day to keep us going. We need 12 hugs a day for growth”. This famous phrase by the American psychotherapist Virginia Satir summarizes how important hugs are in our daily lives. Today we’ll talk about the health benefits of hugs.

When we give a hug and are hugged in return, we feel a sense of well-being and immediate satisfaction, but few people know that, in addition to this feeling of sudden happiness, hugs offer many other benefits for physical and mental health.

1. Hugs are good for your health

Studies show that hugs have the power to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, as well as lower the risk of heart disease. This is because the skin has a network of pressure centers that are in contact with the brain through nerves connected to various organs, including the heart.

A hug is also capable of strengthening the immune system. The slight pressure on the sternum and the emotional discharge activate the solar plexus chakra, which in turn stimulates the thymus gland. This gland regulates and balances the production of white blood cells, contributing to the maintenance of high levels of immunity.

Lastly, hugs also lower levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. High levels of this hormone can harm your health, so this drop in its production is important.

2. Health benefits of hugs: they make people happier

Giving or receiving a hug is the simplest way to get your body to release oxytocin, known as the hormone of love and happiness. It increases feelings of attachment, connection, trust, and intimacy and helps to heal loneliness, isolation, and even anger.

The hug is processed by the nervous system as a reward, and therefore it has an important impact on the human mind, making us feel happy and joyful. It doesn’t matter if we are hugging or being hugged, the simple physical connection with each other makes us happier.

Hugs also help to cultivate patience and show appreciation, as well as stimulating the release of dopamine, the pleasure hormone, and serotonin, the feel-good hormone, widely associated with good mood.

For all these reasons, hugs can even be important in treating depression. 

3. Health Benefits of Hugs: Reduce Stress

Studies have found evidence that people who were hugged more in childhood show fewer symptoms of stress later in life. Physical affection also helps to ease our reactions to stressful situations and helps to reduce anxiety.

Another benefit is that hugging someone relaxes muscles, helping to release and lessen tension in the body, leaving us calmer and more relaxed.

Hugs were included in the same category as laughter and meditation. All three are considered activities that relax and help us to be fully present in the moment, temporarily forgetting about the problems we face on a daily basis.

4. Health Benefits of Hugs: Offer Protection

The loving touch of a hug helps create a sense of security, as we feel totally protected when we hug someone we love. Furthermore, scientists have found evidence that hugs help reduce our existential worries and fears.

Studies also show that the tactile sensations of the protective hugs we received from family members in childhood remain in the nervous system as we become adults, and help to increase our feelings of confidence, self-esteem, and self-love.

5. Health Benefits of Hugs: Build Relationships

Relationships are a fundamental part of our lives. Loving and being loved is something we all strive for, and hugs can be an important part of that goal.

The exchange of energy that takes place during a hug is an investment in the relationship, and it helps to create empathy and understanding. In this way, relationships are strengthened and acquire deeper levels, an important fact because positive relationships are essential to bring happiness to all areas of our lives.

A hug can also offer comfort to someone who is going through a difficult time or situation in life. Sometimes we have no idea how much a person might be in need of a hug, and how close contact, however quick, can bring a smile and a little light to a sad day.