Cuddling is one of the greatest pleasures in life – but did you know cuddling is also one of our biological basic needs?
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Psychologists are now saying cuddling is so important, It May Be Worth Paying For.
In fact, cuddling is now a professional form of therapy that reduces tension and anxiety and relieves stress and pain by boosting Oxytocin and reducing Cortisol. Yes, you can hire certified cuddle practitioners called “Cuddlists,” who are trained in non-sexual, therapeutic touch (and communicating consent, in case you were wondering).
Research by various professionals now shows that cuddling has several benefits.
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Boost Happiness Hormones
…oxytocin helps human males act more affectionate and form closer social relationships.
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1. Oxytocin – often called the “cuddle hormone” – is a neurotransmitter that acts on the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, promoting feelings of contentment and reducing anxiety. Research from the University of California suggests that oxytocin helps human males act more affectionate and form closer social relationships.
2. According to Happiness Weekly, a full-body hug stimulates your nervous system while decreasing feelings of loneliness, combating fear, increasing self-esteem, defusing tension, and showing appreciation. At a meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Phoenix, it was reported that ”a brief hug and 10 minutes’ hand-holding with a romantic partner greatly reduce the harmful physical effects of stress.”
3. Extended and long hugs can increase the release of serotonin which eventually increases happiness and promotes a joyful mood. In his TED Talk, Neuroeconomist Paul Zak, recommends at least eight hugs a day to be happier and enjoy better relationships.
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Soothe Anxiety and the Nervous System
4. According to the Daily Mail, hugs help us to balance the nervous system as well. The galvanic skin response of someone receiving or giving a hug can change the skin conductance. The effects in the moisture and electricity of the skin helps regulate the nervous system.
5. According to an experiment carried out by researcher Beate Ditzen, the release of oxytocin reduces cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that promotes pain and negativity in your body. The Huffington Post reported, “Stimulating touch receptors under the skin can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, effectively reducing stress.” One study from the University of North Carolina found that women who hugged their spouse or partner frequently (even for just 20 seconds) had lower blood pressure.
The more you connect with others — on even the smallest physical level — the happier you’ll be.
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6. Neurologist Shekar Raman, MD, said in the Huffington Post: “A hug, pat on the back, and even a friendly handshake are processed by the reward center in the central nervous system, which is why they can have a powerful impact on the human psyche, making us feel happiness and joy… And it doesn’t matter if you’re the toucher or touchee. The more you connect with others — on even the smallest physical level — the happier you’ll be.”
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Strengthen Your Immune System
7. Thymus Gland – cuddling and hugging strengthens the immune system by stimulating the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keep you healthy and disease free.
8. A 10-second hug a day can lead to biochemical and physiological reactions in your body that can significantly improve your health. According to one study, this includes: Lower risk of heart disease, Stress reduction, Fight fatigue, Boost your immune system, Fight infections, Ease depression.
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Get Better Sleep
9. Cuddling can help in reducing and even curing insomnia. People who have sleep disorders can be helped by a nurturing cuddle. Cuddling soothe your nervous points, relaxing them and giving you a good peaceful sleep.
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Decrease Food Cravings
A loving hug at night can help decrease these cravings.
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10. Cuddling can reduce late night cravings. Some people have a habit of attacking the refrigerator at night due to digestion problems. A loving hug at night can help decrease these cravings.
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We need twelve hugs a day for growth.
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Virginia Satir, a psychotherapist, said “we need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”
With all of that evidence piling up… it may be time to pull out all the stops to get the amount of cuddling you need to be healthy and happy.
Where are you getting your daily dose of cuddling?
Source: 30dB.com – Cuddle Time
Photos by Flickr/Zoe, Richard, Petras Gagilas, Christophe LEUNG, David Goehring
I get maybe 1 hug a year if I am lucky. I haven’t cuddled for over 10 years. I also have very high levels of social anxiety and the hugs definitely help out, but are just so rare that it’s painful to miss. I truly do believe a lack of physical touch, affection, and sex is extremely damaging to a person’s overall health especially when many of your friends get all of those things.
Amen. I can say that the last real “everything is right with the world” hug I got from a friend was 66 days, 5 hours, 26 minutes ago. I remember it well, and wrote a whole page of text about it.
I am in serious hug deficit here. Does anyone have any hugs they can loan me? I will repay at 100 percent interest. Minimum! More if you insist. Satisfaction guaranteed or double your hugs back.
Perfect. I hope that gets “comment of the day” here.
After several years of training in clinical psychology at Michigan State University, I remember teaching my father and both of my older brothers how to hug, full body hugs that lasted at least 10 seconds. My father struggled at first, he was an old school handshaker, but I laughed until he began to laugh as well. After that, it became a tradition among us males to hug one another. My mother had always been a wonderful hugger. Later, my children carried on the tradition. My wife and I find ways to touch or hug one another throughout the day and… Read more »
I’ve known this for a long time and am often called a “hug therapist” because I love to hug people.
We recently had a family gathering and it was so lovely to see my sons (32,30 ans 23) hugging, grooming and draped over one another. I was proud of them and proud of the way I raised them to be tactile.
In other cultures, men touch freely. When I first started traveling, seeing men holding hands or with arms draped around each others necks was jarring because it wasn’t just cursory, fast, as in a greeting. It’s just as likely to see in adults as in male children in other parts of the world, like I’m sure many Western boys do. It’s just “barred” for adult masculinity for the reason I think we all can imagine. My father and his brothers (there’s a bunch of them) hug each other, say I love you, etc and it’s quite endearing. Unfortunately I don’t… Read more »
I think in the last 7 years I’ve had 4…haha…seriously it’s 2…or none since I really don’t remember any.
Look I’ve learned to not be bothered by random touching. It tends to have the opposite effect on me. So for those of us out here who don’t want your tactile manipulation. Just stop it. You know who you are.
Maybe this explains all those studies we keep seeing about women being happier and living longer than men. It seems perfectly socially acceptable for women to hug and touch each other, and non-invasive for a woman to touch a man in public as a spontaneous friendly gesture. But men don’t touch each other, unless you count playful shoulder punches and smacks upside the head. Of course, the idea of a man touching a woman in any way, without first navigating a perilous minefield of boundary determination, is pretty much off-limits. I know I never try it unless a woman touches… Read more »