Why are hugs beneficial for health, and how often should we hug during the day? Advice from a psychologist

Our challenging wartime has become a measure of humanity, mercy, and love for others, embodied in simple but deep words and actions - the question "How are you?" and a strong hug.

We embrace when we are joyful or sad, when we feel pain, sadness, or need support and comfort, when we meet, and when we say goodbye. We embrace our loved ones, comrades, and complete strangers; we embrace with gratitude and forgiveness, with tears or laughter. We hug others and receive hugs because hugs are not only a pleasant display of emotions.

Renowned American family psychologist Virginia Satir claimed that for human survival, we need to be hugged four times a day, eight times for support, and twelve times for personal growth and development.

So, what are the benefits of hugs?

1. Hugs improve our psychoemotional state and reduce the harmful effects of stress. Through physical contact during hugs, our bodies respond by reducing muscle tension and pain, normalizing heart rate and breathing, and boosting the immune system.
When we embrace, the oxytocin hormone level increases within us, relieving us from feelings of loneliness and anger. Hugs also increase serotonin levels, enhancing mood and creating a sense of happiness. Touch also significantly reduces feelings of anxiety and fear. Through hugs, we protect ourselves not only from bad feelings but also from illnesses.

2. Hugs are a universal signal of support. The feelings of safety, trust, and not being alone are among the most important effects that hugs can give us. We can tell ourselves or others that everything will be all right. But if we also convey it through touch, the feeling becomes stronger.

3. Hugs aid in communication. Verbal communication is the primary form of interaction between people. However, other forms of communication, especially physical contact, remain essential. Sometimes, through touching and hugs, we can say more when words are lacking or when words are simply unnecessary and unable to convey the full range of emotions swirling within a person.

4. Hugs boost self-esteem. When you are embraced, you feel valued and loved. There is a connection between tactile sensations and the sense of significance, which begins in our childhood when touch was one of the most crucial means of communication with parents and the surrounding world.

5. Hugs strengthen relationships. It is through hugs that trust between people is solidified, and empathy and understanding are fostered. In hugs, there is no winner or loser; everyone wins. Let's agree that we truly need such moments - when we can step out of the constant competition mode and relax, knowing that we are important to someone, and someone is important to us.

Of course, military service members must return to their loved ones, family, and colleagues who await them after their service. But it is even more crucial for them to return to loving arms.

Based on materials by Vyacheslav Oliynyk, advisor to "Pislya Sluzhby."