Hugs work as a sedative because they reduce H. Sumioka, A. Nakae, R. Kanai, H. Ishiguro. Huggable communication medium decreases cortisol levels / Scientific Reports the level of the stress hormone cortisol. Scientists have found that it becomes less in the saliva and in the blood of the study participants.
As a special case, hugs help to be less nervous M. L. M. Murphy, D. Janicki‑Deverts, S. Cohen. Receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative mood that occurs on days with interpersonal conflict / PLOS One due to conflicts. Moreover, they also work as a preventive tool. If a person hugged in the morning, and then quarreled with someone during the day, he will worry less about it. To come to such conclusions, scientists conducted a study on 404 people. At the same time, hugs had about the same effect on men and women. This effect is associated with the effects of the hormone oxytocin. It allows you to feel safer, and therefore the stress reaction is felt less acutely.
Let's move from mental health to physical health. They say that if you treat a cold, it will pass in 14 days, and if not treated, then in two weeks. Because there are no pills for it. But hugs can help here too. According to studies, those who were hugged more often had less severe symptoms with ARVI S. Cohen, D. Janicki‑Deverts, W. J. Doyle. Does Hugging Provide Stress‑Buffering Social Support? A Study of Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection and Illness / Psychological Science .
Moreover, it could be concluded that hugs spur the immune system. But this is not quite true. The mechanism here is about the same as with stress (and the study was conducted by the same scientists). Sometimes the immune system reacts excessively, inadequately to the threat. And it can harm the body more than the disease itself. The feeling of security that hugs give (due to the release of oxytocin and a decrease in cortisol levels) helps the immune system to respond more adequately.
Other scientists have studied how hugs affect inflammatory processes in the body. Inflammation is the immune system's response to a disease, so their absence indicates a healthier body. And those who hugged more showed L. J. van Raalte, Kory Floyd. Daily Hugging Predicts Lower Levels of Two Proinflammatory Cytokines / Western Journal of Communication a better result compared to their less tactile companions.
There is also evidence that hugs help K. C. Light, K. M. Grewen, J. A. Amico. More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women / Biological Psychology reduce pressure. They will not be prescribed instead of medicine, but if you hug regularly, you can make some contribution to the health of your heart.
