The Hugs For You:What Does It Do To Us And In Our Relationships?

INTRODUCTION

Just like kissing, hugging is one of many other ways to show our love and affection to others. You can easily tell if a person is a hugger or not over an awkward hello or goodbye. On that note then, it is safe to say that there are two types of people in the world; those who you would consider as huggers and those who are not.

Why do we hug?

We usually hug others when we’re feeling emotional. It could be when we are happy, excited, scared, lonely, or sad.

In one medical research, it has been pointed out that there’s a hormone that is directly responsible for our happiness or sadness. Oxytocin is the love hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland at the base of the human brain.

This hormone is associated with sexual activities for both men and women. In women’s reproductive functions, a vast amount of Oxytocin is released during and after birth. At these stages, it is where we can mostly observe an elevated anxiety symptom-like “maternal” behavior.

Benefits of hugging

Considering that hugging keeps our oxytocin level high which makes us happy, hence, hugging and cuddling is also the quickest way to increase that love hormone to pick us up whenever we are sad. There are several reasons why we hug and here are the top 3 fun facts.

1. The act says it all

When we can’t speak our thoughts, this act says it all. Whether we wanted to apologize, or we want to show our deepest gratitude, a warm good hug will tell the other person how much we mean it when there are no words to emphasize further.

1. Your personalized “apple” pill

As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctors away” but you might be better off with a simple hug. It certainly is readily available and free.

In one study, it has been published that there’s a relationship between receiving hugs and your immune system. That research specifically studied the correlation between illnesses that are caused by stress, focusing on the increased cortisol levels. Results show that patients receiving frequent hugs are less susceptible to becoming sick than those who do not.

1. Teddy bear

We may have called them different names. Maybe we used to call them Chloe, Charlie, or Macy. Children mostly had them until they were old enough to keep their stuff toys away. But, did you know that those helped us go through the toughest times when we were younger – our very own cuddly teddy bears? Do you know that even now that we’re older, they can still be of great help to us? I mean we still need them.

In one research, it has been found out that even touching inanimate objects such as teddy bears help reduce the fear towards self-existence. Only this time, the teddy bears come in life-sizes and our comfort blankets now come in the form of real people. They could be our family members, our friends, our closest colleagues, or our life-time partners – our spouses.

Hugs are believed to help reduce anxiety in people who have low self-esteem. Hence, physical contact can also keep people from isolating themselves as we remind them that they do exist.

Hugs in a relationship

Did you know that the increased love hormone also helps couples build loyalty and trust in their relationship? Thus, promoting socialization, understanding, and love.

Hugging makes a relationship stronger and lasts longer. It stops us from ending the nights with a fight or unnecessary arguments. When you hug your spouse, you’re reinforcing your relationship’s intimacy.

Although on the other hand, the lack of Oxytocin may cause insecurity, arrogance, isolation and a range of psychological disorders and an increased tendency to lie. And probably, that explains why an extra firm hug can miraculously bring back that bond-at-stake when done before a relationship even gets lost.

With that said, here are some wonders of what daily hugs can do in our relationships:

1. Great Bond

Hugging will give couples a great bond and it shows how much they care for each other. Giving your spouse a hug just before they leave for work goes a long way, giving them that security saying someone cares as much. Similarly, when they come home from a crappy bad day at work, a huge hug improves their mood. The stress goes away and now you’ll have some time to spend for lovemaking or more cuddling.

1. Keeping the Marriage Alive

Marriage is a lifetime commitment and the longest journey you and your partner will share. When you start your family and have kids, the fire in a relationship becomes even harder to keep. The night outs and the intimate date nights become lesser as the number of children increases. Eventually, the hours you used to spend with your spouse, now becomes a time you’ll have to spend with your work, the kids, and the household chores.

All the while, the simplest and the quickest thing you can do is to kiss and hug your partner within those shortest available time that falls within the cracks of your daily tasks.

Classics live forever

In this continuously progressing digital age, we tend to forget about the actual things we used to do before things became more virtual. The meet up nowadays happens often via live chat over our laptops and smartphones. Our kisses on the lips, cheeks, and forehead started to be sent via SMS through our mobile phones with a “mwah”. The hugs we used to give so tightly now replaced with the simplest “virtual hugs” all over our gadgets.

Accept it or not, the real hugs and kisses can never be replaced. These classic love acts are never too old. So, let’s wrap our arms to our beloved, and let’s do it often. Admit it or not, it does make most of us (if not all) feel better!