Hugs happen when we are happy, excited or trying to comfort another person. As it seems, it is a universally comforting gesture. Not only does it make use feel good, but it also turns out that hugging makes us healthier and emotionally more stable. Nevertheless, the essence of sharing this physicalness with people goes beyond what we have highlighted.
Emotional IQ
According to experts, everyone has some level of alexithymia. This is a kind of personality trait which keeps people from understanding and sharing how they feel. In any case, giving and receiving hugs can help you better grasp your emotions and make you more likely to open up as per your struggles. This is what it means to have a high emotional IQ. which has been linked to a variety of positive mental, social and physical benefits. So, the more you hug, the less your own emotions elude you.
Reducing Stress
We do not need a lot of research to tell us that everyone undergoes stress. Which is why it is advised that when you have a friend or family member dealing with something overbearing in their lives, give them a hug. Well, scientists have said that giving another person some touchy form of support can reduce stress both ways. If you are having a bad day at work or just not feeling okay, you would realize that a warm embrace from a significant other would do much to take some of it away.
Boosting Immunity
It sounds like some long shot, but hugging actually boosts your immune system. So, rather than an apple, a hug a day may help you keep the doctor away. In a study, the people who get hugs more frequently were able to resist a cold virus more than the ones who embrace once in a blue moon. The researchers also found out that hugging can reduce your chances of getting a heart disease. If you are feeling lighter and healthier by the day, chances are those hugs are doing wonders for you.
Improving Communication
As we pointed out earlier, hugging enables you to understand your emotions and be able to relate them with people. A good number of communication occurs verbally or via facial expressions. Nonetheless, touch is another important way through which people can effectively send messages to one another. A stranger is more capable of expressing a wide range of emotions to other people by touching different parts of their body. Through embrace, one can communicate fear, sadness, sympathy, disgust, love, happiness and others.
Getting some kind of snuggle helps protect people against some kinds of mental illness, according to a study published in PLoS ONE. Should a person get a meaningful hug on the day they had a conflict with someone or with themselves, they are less emotionally affected by it. And, the positive mental effects lasted through the next day as well. More hugs meant less feelings of worry and sadness.
