Hugging, a simple yet powerful physical gesture, is an often overlooked way of expressing love in our daily lives. To encourage more frequent hugging of family and friends, American Kevin Zaborney initiated National Hugging Day in 1986, which takes place on January 21st each year.
Why is it that the simple act of hugging can be a particularly beautiful experience? Where does its magic come from?
“Pleasant Touch”, which makes us love cuddling
For human beings, the tactile system is not only the most widely distributed sensory system in human beings, but also the earliest sense that makes human beings feel cared for, loved and secure. While the sense of touch creates a unique sensory experience for human beings, it also makes human beings fall in love with cuddling.
In 2022, a study published in the journal Science found that if mice were stroked on their backs with a hairbrush, their heart rates decreased, their tolerance for pain increased, and their plasma levels of stress hormones decreased. The researchers speculate that this is because the animals have a special sensory system that is activated by positive social touch, such as gentle stroking and hugging, which they define as pleasurable touch. They found that PROKR2 neurons in the spinal cord of the mice were activated when they were enjoying a “hair jerk. When the scientists destroyed this neuron, the mice became apathetic, did not want to snuggle with their peers, and did not enjoy being jerked off.
A year later, another study published in the journal Cell again demonstrated the existence of “pleasant touch” and identified the specific neuron used to feel it – the Mrgprb4 neuron. This is a group of neurons located in the skin, when the skin feels hugs and caresses, this group of neurons will send signals to the brain, cascade to the brain areas related to reward, pleasure experience, and promote the brain to release the “pleasure hormone” – dopamine. In this mechanism, the brain views a hug as a reward signal that can bring pleasure.
When embracing, our bodies ……
The simple act of embracing awakens not only the “pleasurable sensation of touch” but also a series of physiological changes.
Some studies of married couples have found that hugging increases the level of oxytocin in their bodies. Oxytocin, also known as the “cuddle hormone,” is a hormone that increases feelings of intimacy and trust and reduces anxiety. Because of this, hugs can make people feel safe, and couples can also deepen their bond by posting and cuddling regularly.
Oxytocin also has an important function – activating the sympathetic nervous system, so that the body’s mode of operation from “movement” to “quiet”, from tension to relaxation. So there are a lot of research reports, hugging can make a person’s heart rate lower, blood pressure drop, mood become calm, a warm hug before bedtime, can bring a higher quality of sleep.
Hugs also cause the brain to secrete endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins are a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, which is a natural analgesic in the body, so a hug when you’re not feeling well can play a role in the physiological effect of pain relief. Serotonin is the “happiness hormone” in our body, can constantly send positive emotional signals to the body, can bring us a positive state of mind and a feeling of happiness, so when you are not in a good mood, a big hug can really lift your spirits.
Hugging can also expel negative energy from the body. When hugging tightly, the body’s level of cortisol, the “stress hormone,” decreases, and the ability to resist stress increases. However, the study showed differences between men and women, and men who participated in the experiment did not show a significant decrease, which the researchers said may be influenced by social factors, as hugging is an embarrassing behavior for many men.
Regular cuddling and an immune system boost?
Modern people live a fast-paced life, often in a high-stress environment, not only prone to anxiety, depression and other negative emotions, resistance will also decline. In this regard, Carnegie Mellon University’s research team proposed a very simple way – more to embrace others, you can improve resistance!
The team researched 404 healthy adults, asked them about recent interpersonal conflicts to assess their recent social stress, and recorded how often they hugged to see how well they were receiving social support, then exposed them to the flu virus. It turned out that among the infected volunteers, those who had more social support (received more frequent hugs) had milder symptoms. The researchers explained that social stress from interpersonal conflict can lead to a decrease in the immune system’s ability to fight disease, and that being hugged by someone you trust is a powerful form of social support that can help relieve stress, which in turn prevents it from weakening the immune system.
If you’re in the midst of stress, give this method a try and go to hug someone you love!