4 Benefits Of A Hug For Our Health
Everyone, at some point in our life, feels the need to give and receive a hug to feel good and feel support, happiness and love. But the benefits of a hug have been shown to go beyond emotions and directly influence our health, regardless of our age.
People need to receive hugs and caresses from the moment we are born. Physical contact plays a very important role in our vital development. So that they do not die, we must stimulate them from the moment we begin to live.
Although an exact number of hugs we need on a daily basis has not been discovered, research has been able to determine that they may have certain benefits for our health.
Thus, in 2005, a group of researchers from the University of North Carolina wanted to verify this through a study. In this study, they investigated 59 premenopausal women before and after having physical contact (ending in hugs) with their partners. They found that frequent hugging between partners was associated with lower blood pressure and oxytocin levels in these women.
Thus, although more research is needed on the subject, it seems that physical contact, specifically hugging, could play a role in lowering blood pressure.
What are the benefits of a hug?
Today we are going to tell you why hugging should become a habit.
In general, we really enjoy the hugs that we give each other with the people we love. But they are also very effective when we do it with other people. With this clear, look at all the benefits of “hug therapy”:
1. They reduce the cortisol hormone
Hugging and physical contact in general reduce the production of a hormone called cortisol, which promotes stress. This is confirmed by research such as the one published in 2013 by the journal Scientific Reports.
2. Lowers blood pressure
Thanks to hugs, our blood pressure can decrease. This is confirmed by research such as the one carried out by the University of North Carolina in premenopausal women.
3. Improves mood
When you’re having a bad time in your life, hugs can be comforting. Although the possible hormonal changes that can occur have not been studied, hugs can generally help us improve our mood.
4. Build trust and security
Hugs make us feel supported and confident. In this way, a security is generated that favors communication, both with close people and with the general public. Getting a hug before speaking in public could make us perform better.
The benefits of a hug are many, as you can see. When we hug we can feel more loved, safe, special and important to the people around us. In addition, it can also have other benefits for our health such as a reduction in blood pressure.
