When We Can Hug Again, Will We Remember How It Works?
November 9, 2020
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As the weeks of coronavirus quarantine stretched into months, hugs are among the many things isolated people found themselves aching for. Hugs are good for humans — perhaps more valuable than many of us realized, until we found ourselves missing them.
Research has shown that hugs can lower our cortisol levels during stressful situations, and can raise oxytocin levels and maybe even lower our blood pressure. A 2015 paper published in Psychological Scienceeven found that study subjects who got more hugs were less likely to get sick when exposed to a cold virus than those who weren’t hugged as often.
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Read the whole story (subscription may be required): The New York Times
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