Have you ever experienced a bad day where nothing seemed to cheer you up, then you got a hug from a specific person, and all of a sudden you felt more relaxed and calm? That is your body reacting to physical touch in the best way.
The power of physical touch to melt away stress is quite remarkable! When we hug someone, shake hands, or get a massage, our bodies release oxytocin, often called the ‘cuddle hormone.’ This hormone plays a huge role in reducing stress and making us feel all warm and fuzzy. Physical touch can also lower cortisol, the stress hormone, and can even reduce blood pressure, which is super helpful when we’re feeling tense. It’s kind of like our body’s own built-in stress relief system, isn’t it? So a simple hug can go a long way in making us feel more chill.
Doctoral Candidate Aljoscha Dreisorner, a researcher who specializes in self-compassion, mindfulness, stress, and positive psychology interventions, teamed up with Beate Ditzen, a researcher in stress affiliated with Heidelberg University, to write an article that showed that women who were massaged by their partners had lower cholesterol levels in a stressful situation. Dreisorner and Ditzen conducted an experiment consisting of 159 adults (average age 21) who had to present a speech to individuals in a room. Blood pressure and stress levels were recorded beforehand. Participants were either “given a 20-second hug by a confederate, told to give themselves a 20-second hug, or told to build a paper plane.” (psypost.org) Supporting the ongoing idea that physical touch can overall just make you feel better. According to Aljoscha Dreisorner, “Touch is a powerful communicator of safety and inclusion, and my colleagues and I wanted to see if being touched can help cope with stressful experiences, even if people touch themselves.”.
It was found that cortisol levels lowered when people received or gave themselves hugs, compared to making a paper airplane. It’s like having a secret weapon against stress! When we embrace, our brains release oxytocin, which is like a feel-good balm that calms our nerves. It’s not just fluffy talk; there’s science backing it up! Support from friends through physical touch like hugs can lower our anxiety levels, make us feel connected, and give us that extra boost of courage we need.
If you’re reading this, do you know how it feels when your mind is racing and you are stressed out of your mind? Sometimes, all it takes is a solid hug to cut through that pain. So the next time that you see your friend getting all wound up and stressed, be sure to go give them a hug and comfort them right then and there to help them feel better. It’s like a chill pill in human form—spread the word! Trust me, it’s the move (unless your best friend hates touch like mine).
