10 Reasons Why You Should Hug Every Day

To get all the benefits of hugs they must last more than 20 seconds and come from a loved one, although they can also come from someone with less relationship .

Hugging is defined as the act of holding another person in the arms, either as a manifestation of empathy or affection. In recent years its meaning has broadened. Especially because doing it frequently has been shown to have great benefits for your physical and mental health. However, scientific studies that fully corroborate this fact are still lacking.

Although we almost always ignore it, this simple gesture can help combat stress and overcome many negative emotions that appear day after day.

A good hug lasts at least 20 seconds and, if possible, it should be between two people who love or trust each other. For this reason, various studies suggest that hugging several times a day could have therapeutic benefits that cause a strong feeling of well-being.

Would you like to meet them? Be sure to read the following 10 reasons to start making it a daily habit.

1. Hugging improves mood

As experts from Harvard University reveal, a hug with a loved one can completely change the day and eliminate negative behaviors. This seems to stimulate  the secretion of oxytocin, known as the love hormone. In the same way, it would stimulate the secretion of endorphins, substances that cause a sensation of well-being.

By giving a hug we exchange affection and, incidentally, recharge ourselves with energy and positive emotions.

2. Helps relieve pain

This simple act of caring is one of the most effective ways to relieve physical and mental pain. Its ability to increase oxytocin causes the pain threshold to increase. In the same way, it produces a decrease in anxiety levels, decreases fear and increases confidence.

As the scientific literature explains: “oxytocin also participates in attachment and parental behaviors: it increases trust in other people, improves the ability to infer mental states in others and increases emotional empathy.”

3. Increase security

The feeling of the hug increases security and alleviates the feeling of loneliness. This has the ability to unblock on an emotional level, improves social relationships and avoids constant behavior problems.

4. Raise self-esteem

Hugging or receiving more than four hugs a day reinforces emotional ties, promotes empathy, provides emotional support and even significantly reduces psychological discomfort. In addition, it helps to remove that need to receive the opinion of others to be well. This is due to the transmission of positive energies that are achieved through this act.

Children who hug and are hugged by their parents several times a day have better emotional management and are more self-confident than those who do not receive this type of physical affection as often.

5. Control blood pressure

There is an intimate relationship between the mind and the cardiovascular system. Therefore, it is possible to appreciate how stress, other causes of emotional distress, can cause blood pressure to alter (drastically rise or fall), experience chest pains, etc.

For this reason, emotional support, as well as the correct approach to this emotional discomfort (in therapy) can contribute to the well-being of patients with tension problems, as well as that of patients with various cardiovascular conditions. This is confirmed by the experts of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Contact with other people through a hug lowers blood pressure by activating receptors called corpuscles, which are found in the skin and send signals through the nerves.

6. Possibility of reducing cardiac risk

A dose of hugs daily could help protect the heart by controlling heart rate and blood flow. This is because practice promotes a state of relaxation. In this way, it improves the oxygenation of the blood and with this allows this muscle to have a normal activity.

7. Improves the nervous system

Along the same lines of ideas, we have that the calming effect of hugging not only has benefits for cardiovascular health, but also for the nervous system.

As this practice can help mitigate negative emotional states, as well as reduce anxiety, stress and depression, it favors the proper functioning of the nervous system. This in turn prevents dysfunctions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis from being triggered.

As the experts from the Spanish Society of Cardiology explain: “its dysfunction is the cause of overexposure of the tissues to glucocorticoids and the consequent harmful effects on higher functions (memory, mood), as well as on the cardiovascular, metabolic, immunological and bone ”.

8. Strengthens the body’s defenses

Considering what some research suggests, we can see that  oxytocin is also associated with a lower risk of infections.  This is because it increases the presence of antibodies to make the fight against viruses and bacteria more effective. Therefore, hugging could help us improve the immune system.

9. Neural development

The affection that is manifested through hugs is decisive for neural development in the first years of life. Therefore, not receiving it could reduce psychic and motor skills in later years.

According to a study carried out at Duke University (United States), babies who do not receive enough hugs have a brain up to 20% smaller.

10. Strengthen emotional ties

Body language is one of the key factors for happy relationships. A hugging couple shares a strong bond that allows them to feel more secure and loved.

Are you giving or receiving a daily dose of hugs? In short, they cost nothing and are a great way to make life more enjoyable.

Do not be afraid to enjoy them and do not miss the opportunity to exchange them with those people who make everything make sense.