Keywords:
Hugging, embrace, cortisol, oxytocin, neurotransmitters, brain development, immunity, self-hug, virtual-hug.
Introduction.
How Hugging Affects Your Health. What is the meaning of hugging? Criteria for effective hugging. How does hugging affect your mental health? Does hugging help in the child’s brain development? Are there other health effects of hugging? What happens when you have no one to hug?
Hugging is practiced in most cultures, but unfortunately, most people who practice it don’t realize its effect on health. Incidentally, some people just end with that embrace, while others go on to add kissing on the cheeks.
Yes, hugging can affect our health, both mentally, physically and socially. It is used to greet, show love and affection and to console someone.
What is the meaning of hugging?
Hugging which is a physical action, is associated with many physical and psychological wellbeing.
The word hug, a social touch, comes from the Scandinavian word hugga, which means to comfort. In modern times, it means to embrace. And since both arms are used to hug, some people believe that it also means friendship. It is also used as a means of greeting.
Humans of both genders engage in hugging, by wrapping their arms around each other. But incidentally, not only humans engage in hugging. Animals such as monkeys, chimpanzees, horses, etc. also engage in hugging one another.
Criteria for effective hugging.
Hugging requires that the two people embrace each other. The length of the embrace is very important. For all the health benefits from hugging, they two must clasp each other for between 5 to 20 seconds. The more the hugs lasts, the more the effectiveness. But if it is too long, it becomes uncomfortable.
There are actually two common ways that people hug. One is called the crisscross method and the other is the neck-waist method.
In the crisscross method, the two people place each of their arms over their partner’s one arm. Then they place their other arms below their partner’s other arm.
But in the neck-waist method, each person places both of their arms either over their partner’s arms. Or they can place both their arms below their partner’s arms.
Both methods are good. But some researchers have documented that the crisscross method seem to give better results.
Endeavor to give or receive at least 3 or more hugs per day. As your body in contact with the other person, also allow your mind to be present. Remove all distractions and think about the warmth and connectedness being passed in the embrace.
Hugging can occur between family member, friends, lovers, mates, same genders and opposite genders. It can also occur between strangers and between a human and his or her pet. Virtual hugging is also effective and so is self-hugging.
It is important to know that not everyone enjoys being hugged. This is the reason that you may need to ask someone for permission to be hugged.
For people who don’t enjoy being hugged, you can just touch their hands or rub their backs. These are just as effective as hugging. Even hand holding can be as effective.
How does hugging affect your mental health?
Most people actually engage in the embrace of hugging without actually realizing it has effects on our mental health.
Stress is reduced by hugging:
When someone is under stress, the brain produces certain chemical that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. The adrenal gland is situated on top of our kidneys.
Cortisol is actually stress hormone. So, being a stress hormone, it makes the person to become afraid and to run from the stressful situation. Cortisol does this by putting the person at alert, increase blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.
Hugging actually reduces stress caused by cortisol, by reducing the level of cortisol. During the process of hugging, a hormone called oxytocin is released. The oxytocin is a cuddle or love hormone.
Oxytocin, a hormone produced by the brain hypothalamus, is released from the pituitary gland in the brain. When released, oxytocin will inhibit the production of the hormone cortisol from the adrenal gland, directly and indirectly.
With the reduction of cortisol, the body stress reaction is reduced.
Hugging helps to stabilize mood:
Mood is an emotional state that affects the person’s thoughts and behaviuors. And there are different types of mood. They include, happiness, sadness, fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, etc.
During the process of hugging, certain neurotransmitters are released in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals produced and released by the brain cells. It is via neurotransmitters that the brain cells communicate with one another.
Some of these neurotransmitters are dopamine, noradrenaline serotonin, acetylcholine, GABA, etc. The neurotransmitters that are involved in mood are serotonin and dopamine
Now during the process of hugging, these mood affecting neurotransmitters are released. The neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine are known as happy neurotransmitters.
A good level of serotonin in the brain, makes us feel happy, calm, good, and less anxious. But low level of this neurotransmitter causes the person to be depressed and anxious.
A good level of dopamine gives us the feeling of pleasure and motivation. At high level of dopamine, we can have euphoria, which is a very high level of happiness and excitement.
Boosting of self-esteem:
Hugging does not only help in boosting your self-esteem, it also helps you feel valued and appreciated. This gives us a sense of security and belongingness. These come about because hugs helps the brain to release oxytocin (the love hormone), dopamine and serotonin.
Hugging improves social connectedness:
Being able to be in a 20 second embrace with someone, can reduce the feeling of loneliness. This is because it makes you feel that someone really cares about you.
Hugging increases social bond and intimacy. And it gives you a sense of belonging.
It helps you to communicate empathy, affection, forgiveness, love, etc. without saying a word. Thus, it helps one have a sense of safety.
Being in embrace with someone, helps people feel closer to one another and benefits all types of relationship.
In as much that a hug from a stranger is effective, but that between two romantic people is better effective. This is because the two people in a romantic relationship share so many things in common. For example, they share common history, emotional closeness, sexual intimacy, etc.
Does hugging help in the child’s brain development?
During the process of forming attachment between mother and her baby, one of the requirements is cuddling the baby. And cuddling is a form of hugging. With secure attachment, the child will be able to regulate his or her emotions. He or she can also cope with stress and build a health relationship in the future.
Many researchers have documented that without constant loving touch, babies will not develop normally. Research has also recorded that children who receive a lot of hugs, have better developed brains than children without hugs.
Stimulating brain growth.
In babies and children, hugging helps to stimulate the brain cell growth. These brain cell growth is more in the hippocampus and amygdala. The areas of the hippocampus and amygdala, are important for learning, memory and emotions.
The frontal lobe areas of the brain, also gets boost in brain cell growth from hugging. This frontal brain areas is important in intelligence, judgment, thinking, planning, etc. So hugging can boost your child’s academic intelligence.
Hugging babies and children stimulates the brain to produce oxytocin, as already mentioned. This goes a long way in aiding the brain development.
All round health.
With a good brain development, the child will have an all-round health. The baby will sleep better, feel secure and have trust, have less tantrum, better weight gain and better digestive system. The neurological development of the baby is better when hugging occurs often. Hugging the child often reduces the frequency of the child falling ill, because it boosts immunity.
Lack of physical hugs in children can lead to negative effects in later life. These negative effects include, low self-esteem, poor stress coping, insecure attachment that can predispose to intimacy problems in future. It can also lead to inability to manage emotions, depression, anxiety, developmental delays, and poor academic achievements.
There are other benefits that hugging gives to the baby. Hugging the baby often, makes possible for the right amount of growth hormone to be produced, for better development.
Are there other health benefits of hugging?
Heart health:
Hugging contributes to heart health. It lowers heart rate and reduces blood pressure.
It reduces heart disease, heart attack and stroke. A twenty second hug will be as effective as a mini heart work out.
Relief of pain:
Hugging causes the brain to releases endorphins, which is a natural pain reliever. With the release of endorphins pains in the body are relieved and muscles get relaxed. This is good for people who have chronic pain.
Hugs also increases blood circulation to the body soft tissues, so that pain can be relieved.
Improves immunity:
It improves immunity by boosting the immune system.
It thus reduces inflammation and enhances recovery from infection, especially viral infection.
With the gentle pressure that a hug places on the sternum, it stimulates the thymus gland. Then the thymus gland will stimulate and regulate the production of white blood cells needed to fight infection.
What happens when you have no one to hug?
In these days when a lot of people practice individualism, it may be difficult to get someone to hug. This is especially difficult when people tend to mind their own business and when the person lives alone. Yet, even in such situations, getting the benefits of two people hugging is still very possible.
Self-hug:
If you do not have a partner, or a spouse to hug, hugging is still possible. When there are no family members around to frequently hug, hugging is still possible. When there are no friends or coworkers around, it is still possible to get the physical and mental health effects.
Self-hugging is very possible, and can give you all the positive values that you can get from hugging a partner. Hugging, self-stroking and self-massaging can achieve these.
You can give yourself a hug, by crisscrossing your arms across your chest. Once this is done, stroke your upper arms up and down severally. You can also place your hands on both of your shoulders and rock side to side.
When doing these, tell yourself positive words and concentrate on the hug. The longer the hug lasts, the better.
There are other ways to achieve the effects of hugging when alone. One method is to place one hand over your heart and massage the area, gently. Softly massaging your temple, is another method. You can also rub your back against the back of a couch side to side, for some seconds.
Self-hug gives you the opportunity to do self-love and self-compassion. And it will also give you all the other benefits of hugging.
Virtual hugging:
There is what is known as virtual hugging. In this method, you make a video call to any of your loved ones and express in words and gestures, affection.
This is just as good.
