7 Amazing Health Benefits of Hugging
“A hug is like a boomerang — you get it back right away.” — Bil Keane
Hugging has amazing health benefits! Warm long hugs can change your state of mind in no time. Hugging is the most important way to show your love, affection & compassion to someone you love & care for. It can transform a bad mood and vanish all your worries instantly.
With a warm hug, you kind of share your personal space. Some special kind of exchange between the two people takes place when you hug. That special exchange makes you feel overwhelmingly happy & loved irrespective of the situation.
Various studies have been conducted on how hugging improves your health. The results for each of these studies have identified that hugging is an antidote to all kinds of emotional & physical sufferings.
In this article, we’ll talk about “the amazing benefits of hugging” ~ Let’s dive deeper and find out how hugging often could keep you healthy. Here we go:
Top Benefits of Hugging:
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Hugging is helpful for your overall mental wellbeing.
Loving & being loved ~ is the intrinsic nature of human beings! When you feel loved, you find a reason to live, and that eventually makes you mentally strong. Your overall mental health is essential for living happily — it nurtures every aspect of your life.
Hugging releases a special type of hormone, oxytocin which is also called, “cuddle hormone” — it instantly gets you the feeling of relaxation & exhilaration. You kind of feel complete. It enhances your self-esteem in taking care of your overall mental health.
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Hugging helps you communicate in a special way.
And without saying anything -- hugging gets you a platform to connect & communicate with the person in a special way. No matter if consciously or unconsciously, there are some kinds of exchanges taking place between the two people during a warm hug. The two people communicate a lot when they hug.
“The first emotional comfort, touching and being touched by our mother, remains the ultimate memory of selfless love, which stays with us longer.”
— Diane Ackerman in A Natural History of the Senses
It is a touch therapy that you learn in the mother’s lap and even for a longer period when you are born. Subconsciously that “touch therapy” we humans carry along through the rest of our lives. It absolutely makes sense to communicate by just hugging, or touching without.
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Hugging takes care of your Emotional Wellbeing.
“No matter what kind of challenges or difficulties or painful situations you go through in your life, we all have something deep within us that we can reach down, and find the inner strength to get through them.” ―Alana Stewart
That inner strength has to do with your “emotional strength”. Many physical & mental disturbances are born in the absence of emotional strength. Nurturing your emotional self is as important as taking care of a vitamin-deficient body.
Hugging makes you feel loved -- you get to share & exchange unseen things that enhance your emotional strength.
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Hugging can help you speak confidently in public.
If you are someone who panics when there is a project that involves speaking in public. For a variety of reasons — most often in people who have had tumultuous childhood experiences find it difficult speaking in public.
But, thankfully it can be cured with some simple tricks. Hugging is one of those simple tricks. Learn the art of hugging — whenever you are going for a public speaking appearance makes sure you have had enough of hugs & cuddles.
Studies have shown those people who have had a 20-seconds hug from their partners before their public speaking sessions have had lower heart rates as compared to those who did not get a hug prior to speaking.
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Hugging keeps you ate bay from stress-borne diseases.
Today, we are living in an extremely stressful environment. And, stress is the cause of almost 75% of diseases.
Same as “an apple a day keeps a doctor away” ~ lots of hugs a day can keep diseases at bay. Per a study, hugs have to do with your immune system. There is a close relationship between how many hugs you give & receive every day & how well your immune system is functioning.
This means more hugs per day better is your immune system and less likely you will suffer from any physical condition. Researchers have found those people who give & receive hugs regularly are less likely to suffer sickness and even if it happens — they will exhibit only mild symptoms.
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Hugging often helps to deal with existential crises.
Studies have found those people who suffer existential crises for any reason can deal with it through interpersonal touching in any form including hugging. It provides a sense of security and works well on the person’s self-worth helping quell existential crises. The gist is -- hugging makes us feel loved and that alone creates the magic in a number of ways.
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Hugging Enhances your Physical Performance.
This may sound a little alien, but hugging does improve your stamina to perform outstandingly when it comes to physical activity too. When you hug -- a huge part of the stress in your head gets released and enables you to concentrate on what you are doing. Per a report by the New York Times, it was found that athletes when showed companionship & camaraderie -- they performed better. It was found those athletes who showed touch-bonding performed excellently.
Summary.
Hugging is not just an act, but a therapy! It has a positive effect on every aspect of your existence. It improves your strength -- be it mental strength, emotional strength, or even your physical strength. Hugging releases a kind of happy hormone -- in fact, it releases a host of hormones making you feel happy, loved & satisfied. It reduces stress & works wonders on your immune system.
Given the current situation and the COVID-19 pandemic -- you should often hug & stress less. It will only improve your immune system helping you fight coronavirus.
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