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Hug a Friend Day can also benefit your health
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Mothers Love - by philipb1383 / Flickr
“A hug overcomes all boundaries. It speaks words within the mind that cannot be spoken.”
- Author Unknown
Today, April 26th, 2009 is “Hug a Friend Day”. It’s a day to take a moment and let your friends know how important they are to you. We hug a person for a variety of reasons without ever giving it a second thought. In fact, you could say that there is an actual unwritten language involved with a hug. On the emotional level, a person may hug someone to provide comfort, offer support, express gratitude, show affection, or simply as a way of saying hello or goodbye. When we are the person receiving the hug, it can provide us with a feeling of reassurance, love, happiness, understanding, or acceptance, just to name a few.
Did you know that there are also a few health benefits associated with hugging? A study led by psychologist Dr. Karen Grewen, at the University of North Carolina, found that when you are involved in a hug lasting for at least 20 seconds your body releases a “bonding” hormone called oxytocin. As this hormone increases in the blood, it has been shown to have the following positive health benefits for your body:
- Lowers your blood pressure
- Lowers your heart rate
- Reduces the level of stress hormones such as cortisol (which is produced by your adrenal glands when your body reacts to stress)
- Improves your mood
Although there is not a specific recommended daily serving, if we focus on giving a person just one hug per day, we will benefit both emotionally and physically. Apples beware. It seems that perhaps a hug a day may also help keep the Doctor away. If you enjoyed this article, your may also like:
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