Can hugs make you feel better?
| Oct 4, 2018, 17:09 IST
A new study has found that the easiest way to feel better is to ask someone for a hug. The study from the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University looked at the interactions of more than 400 people over a span of two weeks. Their daily activities, moods and physical interactions revealed a link between conflicts, emotional states and the number of hugs they received.
"Results indicated that there was an interaction between hug receipt and conflict exposure such that receiving a hug was associated with a smaller conflict-related decrease in positive affect and a smaller conflict-related increase in negative affect when assessed concurrently," the study reads. "Our results are consistent with the conclusion that both men and women may benefit equally from being hugged on days when conflict occurs," the study reads.
Apparently, it didn't even matter if the people giving and receiving hugs were in a relationship or not. "The lack of specificity regarding from whom individuals received hugs also restricted our ability to identify whether hugs from specific types of social partners were more effective than those from others," a researcher said. Regardless, there seems to be no downside to consensual hugging. Stay tuned for more updates.
"Results indicated that there was an interaction between hug receipt and conflict exposure such that receiving a hug was associated with a smaller conflict-related decrease in positive affect and a smaller conflict-related increase in negative affect when assessed concurrently," the study reads. "Our results are consistent with the conclusion that both men and women may benefit equally from being hugged on days when conflict occurs," the study reads.
Apparently, it didn't even matter if the people giving and receiving hugs were in a relationship or not. "The lack of specificity regarding from whom individuals received hugs also restricted our ability to identify whether hugs from specific types of social partners were more effective than those from others," a researcher said. Regardless, there seems to be no downside to consensual hugging. Stay tuned for more updates.