Last update: April 05, 2016
I need a hug, I need to feel your arms wrap around me and leave no room for fear or the cold of winter. I need to feel protected from what hurts me, from what makes me sad. However, I don't want just any hug, I want a strong one, in which there is no need for words, because your body wraps mine and transmits your energy to me, while I hug you with all my heart.
Let me forget everything that hurts me and remind me that life is made of warmth, home, friendship, love. You don't need to say a single word, because your hands joined behind my back and your head resting on my shoulder speak to me of your esteem and your affection.
"I embrace, pure delight, your unknown face, identical to my soul".
-Marguerite Yourcenar-
Why do we need hugs?
Babies have been shown to need hugs, as all displays of affection (hugs, kisses, caresses) promote their growth and increase oxytocin production levels. However, as we grow up and become adults, we get very few hugs, spend very little time on physical contact with other people.
It almost seems that we are afraid to show what we feel, to show affection and love, to touch ourselves and to feel our skin in contact with that of another person. We need hugs to feel protected, to give us energy, to remind us that there is someone we really care about, to feel comfort. If you feel the need for a hug, say it or hug spontaneously.
"If I knew this is the last time I see you walk out the door, I would hug you, kiss you and call you back for more."
-Gabriel GarcÃa Marquez-
The benefits of hugs
Hugging another person has many benefits. There are many scientific studies that have shown that physical contact makes us feel better about ourselves, has a positive effect on the development of intelligence and can be the cause of physiological changes. Hugging is a form of physical contact, but there's no doubt it's special.
Levels of oxytocin increase
A hug increases levels of oxytocin, the hormone that makes us feel good, and it reduces stress levels, while also lowering blood pressure and heart rate.
When we hug someone, the receptors in the skin wake up and send a message to the vagus nerve in the brain, which is responsible for lowering blood pressure. A study conducted in 2010 by the University of Miami, Florida, led to the conclusion that the more hugs you give or receive, the lower your blood pressure.
They foster communication
When we give a hug, we are creating trust, affection, love, which improves communication with the other person involved in the hug and this makes us feel very good. Words are useless, because the light pressure of a body and two arms on us helps to build trust on its own.
They increase self-esteem
When someone hugs us, our self-esteem increases, because we understand that the other person appreciates us and that he is communicating it to us with his hug. In 2012, a study was published in the Journal of Science Psychology that showed that hugs greatly reduce worries related to death and improve the way we deal with fears.
"Stay with a love that gives you answers and not problems, security and not fear, trust and never doubts".
-Paulo Coelho-
They improve empathy and understanding
With a hug, it is possible to put yourself in the shoes of the person we hug and vice versa. It is possible to help a stranger, a friend or your partner, to understand and support us. The need to be understood is very human and, Sometimes, a simple hug is enough to feel the support we need.
We must try to recover closeness with others because, nowadays, due to the proliferation of social networks and the use of mobile phones, relationships become increasingly colder and there is no space to listen to each other, to look at each other. eyes, to caress, kiss or hug.
It is essential, for your well-being, to find physical contact with another person, to encourage hugs. For this reason, we invite you to hug and let yourself be hugged, to enjoy the warmth and intimacy that are born with a strong and long-lasting hug.
