Thank you Lisa Engles for the opportunity to speak on your Power of Practice show on such a heartwarming topic. Hugs are great for us for many reasons. We actually NEED physical touch and studies have shown that without it babies exhibit a failure to thrive. Hugs have shown to increase the levels of oxytocin, which is the “happy” hormone, in both men and women. It is also shown that people in loving relationships had higher levels of this hormone in their body than singletons which makes them overall happier. Hugging also helps to reduce cortisol the “stress” hormone. Cortisol has been linked to numerous diseases such as heart attacks, weight issues, hight blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. Lowering this hormone could be essential for your health! This means that HUGS are essential for you health :-)
Just as a quick recap - here are some of the bad hugging habits:
1 - The Burp You Hug - this is distracting and interrupts the actual embrace
2 - The “Manly Hug” - this can hurt people
3 - The Obligation Hug - Just check it off the “to do” list… not alot of gratification in that
4 - The Too Close for Comfort hug - feels like there is an ulterior motive to the hug
And of course after telling you what NOT to do I have to recap for you what is BEST to do
1 - Hug them to their left so that your heart energies cross
2 - Hold them in a firm embrace… not so much that it hurts but enough that they know you want to be there
3 - I do not like to time the hug; however, allow enough time for both individuals to fully inhale and exhale. This helps to reset the nervous system so you can more fully connect with each other.
So go out there and spread Joy and Health through HUGS!!!