Fun facts about hugging
I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time. Drew Barrymore
In celebration of National Hugging Day on Monday, 21 January 2012 – Happiness Weekly is looking at some fun facts about hugging and all the benefits that come with it. Don’t forget you can celebrate National Hugging Day, a day dedicated to expressing your emotions in public, by giving someone a hug.
The benefits of hugging
– More upbeat moods
– Reduce heart rates
– Lower blood pressure
– Increase nerve activity
– Reduce levels of cortisol (stress hormone) if they are over 20 seconds long
– Increase levels of oxytocin (bonding hormone)
– Boosts the immune system
– Builds self esteem
– Alleviates tension and releases endorphins
– It’s portable and it doesn’t cost a thing!
Hugging facts
* Cuddling increases feelings of safety, security, trust, strength, healing, self worth, belonging, happiness and appreciation
* A hug encourages bonding by increasing the levels of oxytocin in the body
* Studies show that IQ development is delayed in children who don’t receive hugs. Those that lack hugs start walking, talking and reading later
* According to a survey taken in America, marriages where hugging or touching are present, last longer than those without
* A brief hug with a romantic partner is equivalent to 10 minutes of handholding and greatly reduces stress
* Psychologist Karen Grewen found that both males and females gain higher levels of oxytocin (bonding hormone) after a hug
* People crave 13 hugs a day – but most don’t receive this many😦
* A hug normally lasts 9.5 seconds
* On average, people spend an hour a month, hugging
* As hugging increases oxytocin and reduces cortisol – it leads us to a healthy heart and lower blood pressure (good for those with hypertension)
* Hugs also lower our heart rate, promoting a calming effect
* Full body hugs stimulate the nervous system
* It decreases the feeling of loneliness, helps up combat fear, increases self-esteem, affirms relationships, defuses tension and shows appreciation.
How does hugging make you feel? How often do you hug someone? How often does someone hug you?
About National Hug Day
National Hug Day was created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney to help everyone show more emotion in public. The only way to celebrate the holiday is to offer a hug to those around you (friend, family, colleagues, even strangers).
National Hug Day falls on 21 January each year because it marks a midpoint between Christmas and Valentines Day when people tend to be at an emotional low.
Studies have shown that human contact has many health benefits. It improves psychological and physical development, helps build a good immune system, decreases the risk of heart disease, and decreases stress in women. Studies also show that a couple who hugs for 20 seconds, or are in a loving relationship, have higher levels of oxytocin.
National Hug Day is acknowledged in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Poland, Russia, China and Iran.
For more information about the most huggable people (including Reese Witherspoon 2007 and Barack Obama 2009), login to their website at www.nationalhuggingday.com.
The connection between trust and happiness
Trust happens when two or more people in a relationship believe each another to be honest and look out for the best interests of the relationship and each other. Matt Ackerson
We’ve all experienced it before: once bitten, it’s easy to be twice shy the next time around. With time and patience, we eventually will trust again. Why? Because everyone wants to trust – even the most sceptical among us. “The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him,” Henry Stimson said. The question is: why does trust enhance our level of wellbeing?
In general, trusting people are happier than mistrusting, suspicious people. According to Eric Weiner, who wrote The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiness Places in the World, “Trust is a prerequisite for happiness. Several studies have found that trust – more than income or even health – is the biggest factor in determining our happiness”. It’s not just about trusting people but also the feeling of being trusted that contributes to our happiness.
Paul Zak, PhD, at Claremont University in California said their research reveals that the biological basis for social connections – a hormone called “oxytocin” – is part of the brain mechanisms that serve to make us happy.
Research presented at Neuroscience 2010, showed that women who show large increases in oxytocin when they are trusted also report being more satisfied with life, showed greater resilience to adverse events and were less depressed.
Oxytocin suppresses the activity of the brain that processes fear and communicates it to the rest of the brain (a region known as the amygdala). Natural ways to boost your oxytocin (also known as the love hormone) include: ingestion of food, sex, massage, cuddling, smiling and bonding. You can actually purchase it oxytocin a nasal spray as well – called Syntocinon.
There are several benefits of trusting that contributes to our overall happiness and state of wellbeing, including a decrease in anxiety levels. It also enables you to live in the moment – enjoying the people and situations surrounding you – for example, by trusting at work we are more productive because we are able to concentrate more on the task at hand. Trust – just like happiness – is a choice. Not saying that everything will work out because you trust, you will still experience disappointments, but they won’t seem as great.