Inviting this new day with open arms! On January 11th, we honour the healing potential of a good old-fashioned hug by celebrating National Girl Hug Boy Day. Why not? A hug is a loving gesture that can instantly lift our mood. It mends wounds and communicates feelings that cannot always be put into words.
Girls need not wait until National Boyfriend Day to give hugs to random people on this day. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be their boyfriend or a crush. That hug is free and open to anyone who deserves it.
If you have a husband, son, father, or boyfriend, go ahead and give them a bear hug. It’s National Girl Hug Boy Day, so show your appreciation for the boys and men in your life by giving them a squeeze.
The Origin Of The Overwhelming Desire To Embrace Another
Hugs have likely been practised for as long as people have known how comforting it is to be physically close to another person. Primate species like chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans are not alone in their fondness for bear hugs.
Hugs have been shown to have many positive effects on human beings, including improved feelings of connection and love, increased motivation, and even improved physical health. National Girl Hug Boy Day is an appropriate celebration of the fact that women have a biological advantage over men when it comes to physical displays of love and affection, including hugging.
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Girls can set the tone by seeking out hugs from the men in their lives on National Girl Hug Boy Day. This could be a boyfriend, husband, grandpa, or nephew.
The act of giving and receiving a hug is universal across cultures and time periods, serving as a form of nonverbal communication and bonding. Greeting, farewell, sympathy, congratulations, gratitude, support, and affection are just some of the traditional contexts in which a hug might be exchanged.
The Old Norse word hugga, which means “to comfort,” is probably where we get the word “hug.” Wrestling holds were originally what prompted the use of the word “hug” around the year 1610. It wasn’t until the 1650s that the word started being used in its current sense.
Explanation Of The Research Behind Hugs
Hugs may cause the hormone oxytocin to be released. In addition to reducing blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels, this pituitary-secreted hormone also helps regulate fluid balance. It’s been shown to lessen stress, lift spirits, sharpen recall, and strengthen relationships.
People who hug frequently are more likely to feel compassion for those less fortunate. Trust and a shared desire to embrace are prerequisites for a hug’s positive effects on those involved. When the opposite occurs, increased cortisol levels lead to stress.
Benefits Of Embracing Your Loved Ones
There Is Some Evidence That Hugs Can Prevent Illness.
Hugs not only make you feel better by relieving stress, but they could also improve your health.
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Hugging may lower people’s risk of getting sick, according to a study of more than 400 adults. Individuals who reported having more social support were less likely to fall ill. Those who had more people they could lean on when they were sick recovered more quickly than those who had fewer people to turn to in times of need.
Stress Can Be Reduced Through The Expression Of Affection Through A Hug.
A hug can be a comforting gesture when a loved one is going through a tough time.
Scientists have found that comforting someone physically can help them feel better. As a bonus, it can help the comforter relax, too.
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Twenty heterosexual couples were tested in one study (trustworthy source), and the men were shocked with electric current. Each woman clasped her companion’s arm during the shocks.
The stress-related brain regions of each woman were found to be less active, while the reward-related regions of the brain associated with motherhood were found to be more active, according to the study’s authors. These areas of the brain may also light up when we give someone a comforting hug.
It’s Been Proven That Hugs Can Improve Your Mood.
Our bodies naturally produce oxytocin, a chemical also known as the “cuddle hormone” in scientific circles. This is because levels of it increase when we are physically close to another person, such as during a hug, a touch, or a close seat. Positive emotions and reduced stress levels are both linked to oxytocin.
Researchers have discovered that this hormone exerts a marked influence on females. Blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine are lowered in response to oxytocin.
One study found that the positive effects of oxytocin were greatest in women who reported better relationships and who hugged their partners more frequently. When mothers cuddled their newborns, oxytocin levels in their bodies rose.
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Conclusion
Most people require a helping hand in order to flourish.
When we go without physical contact for too long, we risk developing anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. When you can’t be with other people, you can always turn to your pet, your loved ones via video chat, or your preferred method of self-care to help you feel better.
