As a coach, I share plenty of hugs with my fighters and dancers, in addition to my sweet husband. After watching everyone hugging each other at our Parkinson’s year-end party last Saturday night, it made me think… love is a miracle drug. It is such a powerful healing tool. I was able to find some research to support the obvious feeling of joy we get when we receive and give loving affection to people.
What does hugging do to your brain?
In a study conducted by Sheldon Cohen, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, they stated that hugging “is a marker of intimacy and helps generate the feeling that others are there to help in the face of adversity.”
Some experts attribute the stress-reducing, health-related benefits of hugging to the release of oxytocin (often called “the bonding hormone” because it promotes attachment in relationships including between mothers and their newborn babies). Oxytocin is made primarily in the hypothalamus in the brain, and some of it is released into the bloodstream through the pituitary gland. However, some of it remains in the brain where it influences mood, behavior, and physiology.
Research shows that hugging (and also laughter) is extremely effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress.
There is also some evidence that oxytocin can improve immune function and pain tolerance. A 2010 study from Ohio State University found that couples with more positive communication behaviors have higher levels of oxytocin, and they heal faster from wounds! More recently, a 2015 study from King’s College in London found that oxytocin has analgesic effects, leading to a reduction in perceived pain intensity and lower pain ratings.
Hugging also boosts self-esteem. From birth our family’s touch shows us that we are loved and special. The associations of self-worth and tactile sensations from our early years are still imbedded in our nervous system as adults. The cuddles we received from our Mom and Dad while growing up remain imprinted at a cellular level, and hugs remind us at a somatic level of that. Hugs, therefore, connect us to our ability to love ourselves too.
Not Convinced? More reasons to give and receive hugs:
- The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.
- Hugs can instantly boost oxytocin and lift serotonin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, anger, and increase happiness.
- Hugging relaxes muscles. Hugs release tension in the body. A hug can take away pain; they soothe aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.
- Hugs balance out the nervous system. The galvanic skin response of someone receiving and giving a hug shows a change in skin conductance. Moisture and electricity in the skin suggests a more balanced state in the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Hugs teach us how to give and receive. There is equal value in receiving and being receptive to love, as to giving and sharing. Hugs educate how love flows both ways.
- Hugs are so much like meditation and laughter. They teach us to let go and be present in the moment. They also help with worried thoughts.
- The energy exchange between the people hugging is an investment in the relationship. It encourages empathy and understanding.
There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”
Resources:
health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2016-02-03/the-health-benefits-of-hugging
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0203522
Field T. Touch for socioemotional and physical well-being: A review. Dev Rev. 2010;30:367–83.