Why is it that a good, comforting, quality hug can feel like the best medicine in times of need? Anyone who has reached for comfort in the arms of a loved one or
enjoyed a spontaneous embrace with their partner knows the rush of warmth from these moments, yet may have difficulty putting the sensation into words.
Scientists have been able to quantify what goes on in our bodies during a meaningful embrace and the results bode especially well for women’s health.
A University of North Carolina team of researchers decided to study both oxytocin and cortisol levels, as well as blood pressure, in participants before and after hugging their partners. The pairs also spent time reflecting on happy times in their relationship and watching a romantic clip, yet the twenty second hug is thought to be the bigger contributor to the results. Both men and women had increased oxytocin, or the social bonding hormone, compared to pretest levels. Yet every one of the women in the study additionally showed a decrease in both cortisol, the stress hormone, and blood
pressure levels. It seems that a loving embrace with their partners had an overwhelmingly consistent effect on women, as compared to men.
Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation, said, “the importance of oxytocin and its potentially cardio protective effects may be greater
for women [than men]. Scientists are increasingly interested in the possibility that positive emotions can be good for your health.” As social creatures, physical
touch and intimate contact is a crucial part of our lives. Which begs the questions: How much physical contact
do you have with your partner? Is it enough?
The holiday season, for many people, is about connecting with loved ones. Yet, the extraneous details of the season may distract from this goal. Cramming too many activities into the month, becoming frazzled about budgets, traveling and all its stressors can all contribute to frustration and exhaustion—two things
which do not make it easy to connect with our loved ones
Credit: care2.com
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