Significance of a Hug
Social connection and touch are ways humans express care and support. This may vary with people’s comfort levels and boundaries. If both people feel it is okay, hugging or showing signs of care through interpersonal touch can convey to people that they are deeply cared for.
Physiological and psychological effects of touch decrease stress and increase positive feelings. This is also true with a pet or loving animal in your life. Cardiovascular activity is supported and tension is lessened, endorphins are released and cortisol production (stress hormone) is lowered.
Why is this more important than ever?
Social health, sense of belonging, and connection are fundamental aspects of personal health and relationships. Social health has been seen as more and more important especially after the global pandemic and lack of social connection. “With the current demographic development, more and more people, including the elderly, also live alone; when deprived of social touch, e.g. in self-isolation or quarantine, humans show higher levels of stress and more symptoms of mood, and anxiety disorders” (Eckstein et al., 2020).
As technology has found many ways to keep people connected, one area has suffered, that being physical or interpersonal touch. Interpersonal touch is referred to as contact with another person, some examples can be, a hug, placing a hand on a shoulder, or holding hands with another. Non-sexual touch is a way for people to show care and empathy for others, as a way to express emotion and connection.
Scientific studies have also found that interpersonal touch may be more beneficial for health than previously thought. “Social contact is essential for survival in human society; a previous study demonstrated that interpersonal contact alleviates pain-related distress by suppressing the activity of its underlying neural network” (Kawamichi et al., 2015).
As interpersonal touch can serve as a basis for human connection and a fundamental relationship function it has also been studied for its medical and physiological effects. In a medical study with intensive care patients, interpersonal touch was used therapeutically, the results showed that it had the “potential to reduce psychological and physiological stress in ICU patients” (Harris et al., 2018).
These small everyday gestures most people take for granted can have a huge effect on how others feel and act. Touch can create feelings of calmness and stress relief, promoting the mental and physical health of not only patients but people going about their daily lives (Eckstein et al., 2020). “Lack of interpersonal relationships, i.e., loneliness, is one of the major risk factors for health, along with smoking, or obesity” (House et al., 1988a; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010).
“Physical contact with a person has been found to exert a stronger social support effect than verbal or emotional contact” (Gallace and Spence, 2010). By giving and receiving acts of comfort with acceptable forms of touch, positive feelings and emotions can be evoked, and negative emotions lessened (Murphy et al., 2018).
It is always good practice to know what is an acceptable form of touch and what the other person’s boundaries are. For example, a close friend or family member may welcome a hug, while another person may find this uncomfortable. It is always best to respect people’s boundaries and ask what they are comfortable with. It can also be nice to ask others when you are feeling like you would appreciate a hug for example. Each person is in control of their own body, if they do not want to be touched even the offer and asking for permission for a hug can be nice to hear.
“Several studies show a reduction of psychobiological fear or stress responses in neuro-physiological and endocrine outcomes after touch” (Kawamichi et al., 2015). In a few studies looking specifically at the stress response and interpersonal touch, it was seen that participants “when exposed to a variety of different experimental laboratory stress tasks…reported less distress and show reduced cardiovascular reactivity, cortisol secretion, and activation of brain regions associated with emotional and behavioral threat compared to those who did not engage in interpersonal touch” (Murphy et al., 2018).
This can be a significant way to cope with stressors and create positive aspects of social relationships as well as communicate non-verbally that a person cares and supports another. Supporting mental health can be an ongoing process and small things such as giving a hug can dramatically make a difference in someone’s day. Hugs can buffer against changes in mood and the susceptibility to feeling like you’re having a bad day or bad mood (Murphy et al., 2018). For some people, hugging could be a positive way to support mental health and social relationships.
Overall Tips
- Hug someone! Always ask permission about another person’s boundaries
- Pet an animal
- Bring more social connection into your life in whichever ways feel comfortable
- Communicate your own boundaries about the personal touch and what feels okay or not.
- Try expressing affection, compassion, and empathy to those around you in a way that is supportive and caring.
- If it feels okay, hold a friend or partner’s hand.
- There may be cultural or personal differences in types of welcomed touch, always be respectful of another person even if they are someone close to you.
References
Eckstein Monika, Mamaev Ilshat, Ditzen Beate, Sailer Uta. (2020). Calming Effects of Touch in Human, Animal, and Robotic Interaction — Scientific State-of-the-Art and Technical Advances. Frontiers in Psychiatry, V11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.555058
Harris, S. J., Papathanassoglou, E., Gee, M., Hampshaw, S. M., Lindgren, L., & Haywood, A. (2018). Interpersonal touch interventions for patients in intensive care: A design-oriented realist review. Nursing open, 6(2), 216–235. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.200
Kawamichi Hiroaki, Kitada Ryo, Yoshihara Kazufumi, Takahashi Haruka K., Sadato Norihiro. (2015). Interpersonal touch suppresses visual processing of aversive stimuli. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, V9. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00164
Murphy, M., Janicki-Deverts, D., & Cohen, S. (2018). Receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative mood that occurs on days with interpersonal conflict. PloS one, 13(10), e0203522. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203522
