Feature Post
By 8th-Grade Blogger Jackie Pretorius
Why is hugging considered beneficial when all you’re doing is putting your arms around someone? From my experience, hugging makes me feel better whenever something stressful in Blog happens. Thanks, Dug (toy bear). I’m sorry if I squeezed you too much. You and my cats are just so cute!
Anyway, according to the National Library of Medicine (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), affectionate touch like hugs can relieve stress systems such as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. It’s a system of three organs: the hypothalamus (in the brain–controls mood, hunger, etc.), the pituitary gland (also in the brain–makes hormones, controls endocrine glands), and the adrenal gland (in the kidneys) makes hormones that help regulate bodily functions (my.clevelandclinic.org). These three organs regulate stress. Furthermore, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) can measure HPA, and it’s when you produce more cortisol than usual that you wake up stressed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). CAR is similar to HPA as they both make cortisol in the same way. There was a study with college students (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). When people hugged more often, they experienced less CAR, meaning less stress. Another study was done where women who received physical touch had less cortisol than people without it, as indicated through the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) (National Library of Medicine). The TSST is a test where participants do an interview presentation as well as a mental arithmetic (math) test in order to see how their stress response reacts (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/).
From this information, I concluded that physical touch can reduce stress. However, I started thinking about people who dislike being touched. Does it stress them out rather than calm them down? Well, a study in Comprehensive Psychology found that people who experienced hugs through childhood tend to like hugs more than the ones who didn’t. Also Darcia Narvaez, who teaches psychology at Notre Dame, said how a lack of physical touch can mean that the vagus nerve (nerves that go from the spinal cord to the abdomen) is undeveloped and so is the oxytocin system which releases certain hormones that help humans bond with one another (time.com). Without these hormones it makes it harder to understand social cues. Also people with higher levels of self confidence tend to hug more frequently while people with social anxiety or low self confidence tend to find hugs nerve-wracking. However, it’s still possible for non-huggers to want to embrace hugging, but that’s not usually the case (time.com).
If you want to hug someone, ask if they like hugs. If they say no, allow them to have their space. That’s their decision, and you shouldn’t tell them otherwise. Although hugging does have its benefits, that’s only if the person is comfortable with hugging in the first place. If a person, a cat, a stuffed bear is a hugger, feel free to hug as much as you like.
