A prominent psychotherapist
who is generally acknowledged as a pioneer in family therapy, has
spoken about the importance of touching and hugs as it relates to a
person's emotional health.
File photo
From the time you were born until the day you die, touching is an important part of your emotional and physical health.
Infants deprived of touching grow up with developmental and
cognitive delays, attachment disorders and higher risk of serious
infections. On the other hand, premature infants who are held
skin-to-skin exhibit better cognitive skills are more resilient to
stress and have more organized sleep patterns even 10 years later.
These early touch-based interventions demonstrate the need for
touching in psychological regulation. The benefits of touching don’t
diminish with age.
The late Virginia Satir, psychotherapist
and generally acknowledged as a pioneer in family therapy, spoke about
the importance of touching and hugs as it relates to a person’s
emotional health, saying “We need [four] hugs a day for survival. We need [eight] hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
This may represent the minimum and optimum thresholds to generate
sufficient oxytocin, a hormone released by your pituitary gland in
response to physical touch. The simple act of hugging may not only
increase your bond with others, but may also boost your physical and
emotional health.
The simple act of hugging may not only increase your bond with others, but may also boost your physical and emotional health.
The importance of touching
In the absence of touching, children become almost unrecognizable,
developing personality disorders and other conditions that make it
difficult for them to live in society. Historical reports of children
who grew up “feral,” or in the wild without the benefit of touching show
they often have difficulty assimilating into a group.
Touching is the primary language to communicate compassion and is
fundamental to communication, bonding and health. It supports the immune
system, reduces stress, encourages sleep and has no side effects. It
doesn’t drain your batteries, but recharges you instead.
Western cultures often experience a deficiency in touching. Before
he passed on in 1974, psychologist Sidney Jourard completed a study in
which he measured touching between friends in the U.S., England, France
and Puerto Rico. In England, people didn’t touch at all. In the U.S,
friends touched up to two times an hour.
This is in deep contrast to friends in France who touched up to 110
times in an hour or in Puerto Rico where they touched up to 180 times
in an hour.
Health benefits of Oxytocin
Humans are wired so that hugs make you feel all warm and fuzzy
inside. Whether it’s a mother-child embrace, a hug from a friend or a
squeeze from your significant other, research suggests these touches
deliver some real emotional and physical health benefits.
The basis for several of the benefits psychologists associate with
hugging is the result of release of oxytocin. Also called the “love
hormone” or “cuddle hormone,” it’s released from your pituitary gland,
triggering a flood of emotions depending upon the environment in which
you associate the hormone.
In other words, in cases where the hormone was released during
situations that were not pleasant, such as during poor relationships, it
can make you less accepting of people. The hormone was first recognized
for the role it played in bonding of mother and child during pregnancy
and nursing.
The bonding experience of oxytocin is not limited to infancy but
also translates into adulthood, triggering feelings of trust and support
between people who hug.
It promotes feelings of contentment and may even promote monogamous
behavior, especially in men who are already bonded to a woman.
The release of oxytocin with hugging triggers feelings of
compassion for the other person, a necessary form of connection and
support during times of psychological stress or grief. Feelings of
intimacy and closeness give you an optimistic sense of where you fit
socially and a positive sense of wellbeing.
Hugging reduces stress
The release of oxytocin reduces your levels of stress hormone or
cortisol. This reduction in stress, combined with a sense of emotional
support, appears to support your immune system and makes you less
susceptible to the common cold.
Research has found your perceived social support and the number of
hugs you give and get could predict your susceptibility to developing a
cold, finding that hugs could explain 32 percent of the beneficial
effect. Even those who got a cold had less severe symptoms when they had
more frequent hugs.
The pressure of a hug may stimulate your thymus gland, responsible
for the regulation and balance of your white blood cells, another way in
which hugging may support your immune system.
This reduction in cortisol and perceived stress may also help you
stay calm during a stressful event such during a presentation at work or
medical test. The reduction in stress also lowers your heart rate and
blood pressure, which may reduce your potential risk for heart disease.
The reduction of stress may also have a direct response on the
prevention of other diseases. The Touch Research Institute at the
University Of Miami School Of Medicine has carried out multiple studies
on the significance of touching and found a reduction in pain, lowered
glucose levels in children with diabetes and improved immune system in
people with cancer.
Daily hugs may keep depression at bay
A hug is also one of the easiest ways to demonstrate appreciation
and acknowledges the person you are hugging as important to you. Nearly
55 percent of all communication is nonverbal, so a single gesture of
hugging is an excellent method of communicating love and care.
Hugs stimulate your brain to release several other chemicals that
affect your mood and emotions. The first, dopamine, is a hormone that
evokes pleasure in the brain. Endorphins and serotonin are also
released, helping to reduce pain and feelings of sadness.
According to Debra Castaldo, Ph.D., relationship expert and couples and family therapist “We
also know that hugging our loved ones promotes healthy emotional
attachment and intimacy, which is the foundation of a happy, healthy
long-term relationship.”
Source: The Sun
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