Research shows receiving hugs can have several physical and mental health benefits. A person should aim to get 8-12 firm hugs a day, and hold them for just about 20 seconds each. If you don’t want to hug another person, hugging your pet can be just as beneficial.

⭐Health Benefits of Hugging

Hugs lower your blood pressure and heart rate, while also improving cardiovascular function. Hugs decrease the release of cortisol, making you less stressed and allowing for improved sleep. Hugs boost oxytocin in our bodies, which is associated with feeling happier.

⭐Hugs lower your Blood Pressure

Here’s what is great: Science may have an answer. It’s a simple solution that is free, feels good, and is good for you, too. It’s hugs.

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Plenty of research has found hugging lowers your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones, including cortisol. One study found that getting a 20-second hug just before the stress-inducing task of public speaking lowered heart rate as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Another study discovered that women who were frequently hugged tended to have higher levels of oxytocin (known as “the cuddle hormone”) and lower blood pressure.

⭐Hugs Boost Immunity

> Immune System

Immune system function is to neutralize or remove pathogens like bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that enter the body. The primary function of the immune system is to develop a shield of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects the various diseases.

Health Science

A group of scientists from Carnegie Mellon proved that the more hugs the participants had had, the lower their risk of infection. Among participants who did develop a cold, more frequent hugs were associated with less severe illness.

⭐Giving a hug is good for you, too

> Take Care of Yourself

Self-Care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health

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You might not guess that the benefit of physical touch applies to the giver as well as the receiver. Researchers proved this by zapping 20 people with electrical shocks while their romantic partners held their arms affectionately (side note: weirdest experiment ever). It wasn’t the zapped group that the scientists were interested in, but the support-giving partners, whose brain activity they monitored with functional MRI scans. They found that giving physical affection to partners in need increased activity in the ventral striatum and septal area, parts of the brain related to reward. Just one more reason to offer a hug the next time you see someone getting zapped (or, you know, looking anxious or down in the dumps).

⭐Your hugs might not be long enough

You might consider trying a 10-second one—with a consenting partner,

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⭐Consent is often not obtained when hugging someone

it is important to look for nonverbal cues about whether another person is uncomfortable.

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Consent is often not obtained when hugging someone
it is important to look for nonverbal cues about whether another person is uncomfortable. When you are hugging someone and you no longer want to be, that’s the exact moment it stops benefiting you.

⭐Hugging yourself (or a pet) counts

It’s all very well and good to establish that hugs are fantastic for our health, but what if you don’t have easy and consistent access to them? What then?

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If you have friends who are okay with some touch, it can be helpful to make a habit of greeting and saying goodbye by sharing a hug.
And of course, there’s always pets—an indispensable source of snuggling—and self-hugs, too.