In honor of Hug a Friend Day on April 26th, Ricordia wanted to dive deeper into the science behind why hugging is so important for humans and into the numerous ways hugging can improve your health. It’s bizarre to think that an act so simple and common as hugging can really impact someone’s health in such a considerable way, but it’s true! Physical touch, such as hugging, is essential to human survival. Without it people lose a crucial aspect of their humanity and can’t build strong relationships or connections to others. 

On the outside, hugging builds relationships and helps form a foundation of trust. When hugging someone you are saying to them, “I’ve got your back” and that builds up trust in each other. Outwardly, it also improves communication between friends, family, significant others, and it creates a sense of openness when meeting new people. 

On the inside, however, the brain of someone hugging releases oxytocin, otherwise known as the “love hormone” which relieves stress, lowers the heart rate, boosts the immune system, and relaxes muscle tension. It also works with serotonin, the happy hormone, to boost your mood and connect on an emotional level with others. These positive effects also lead to lower risk of disease, reduced blood pressure and inflammation, and improve your sleep (something everyone could do with a little more of). 

If it wasn’t clear already, simply put, hugging improves your overall wellbeing and makes you a more compatible, stress-free, healthy person. So why not hug someone today and make them and you happier, healthier people!