Why hugs are so good

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Mental Health. What Are the Benefits of Hugging? Share on Pinterest. Hugs reduce stress by showing your support. Hugs may protect you against illness. Hugs may boost your heart health. Hugs can make you happier. Touch is the first sense to start working in the womb around 14 weeks. This induces a cascade of neurochemical signals, which have proven health benefits. Some of the neurochemicals include the hormone oxytocin , which plays an important role in social bonding, slows down heart rate, and reduces stress and anxiety levels.

It improves our sleep. From the benefits of cosleeping with infants to cuddling your partner , gentle touch is known to regulate our sleep, as it lowers levels of the hormone cortisol. It reduces reactivity to stress.

Beyond the immediate soothing and pleasurable feelings provided by a hug, social touch also has longer-term benefits to our health, making us less reactive to stress and building resilience. Nurturing touch, during early developmental periods, produces higher levels of oxytocin receptors and lower levels of cortisol in brain regions that are vital for regulating emotions. And even if they did, they had less severe symptoms.

Touch is an instinct that is all-around beneficial for our mental and physical health — so we should celebrate its return. Of course, not everyone craves a hug. Giving yourself a hug has been shown to regulate emotional processes and reduce stress. Susannah Walker is a senior lecturer in natural sciences and psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. This article first appeared on The Conversation. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies.

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Home Research HugaBrit: the science of hugs and why they mostly feel so good.