Every Jan. 21 is National Hugging Day!
One of the many benefits of hugging includes lowering your stress.
- Lowering your blood pressure. A study out of North Carolina found women who get hugs from their partners have higher levels of oxytocin which leads to lower blood pressure levels.
- Increases your pain tolerance. Researchers in London found that that same oxytocin produced by hugs upped pain threshold in patients.
- Increases your happiness. Holding a hug for an extended period increases your serotonin levels and elevates your mood.
- Balances your nervous system with skin to skin contact. That's why parents are encouraged to have skin to skin contact with their newborns.
- They’re good for your mental health because they teach you to be present in the moment.
- They are essential to life. A study out of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that not hugging could cause a person to become so depressed they stop eating and could die.
So how many do you need in a day? Pioneer family therapist Virginia Satir says that you need four hugs a day to survive, eight hugs a day for maintenance and 12 hugs a day for growth.
Go head, give a hug! But make sure you ask if it’s okay first. 😊
