Many things in life aren’t free, but this one touching gesture is. Make sure to take advantage of its rewards by doing it often with those you care about. What exactly do you need to do?

Wrap your arms around your beloved and hold on tight – hugging has numerous health benefits.

In the journal National Library of Medicine, scientists set out to investigate how a simple touch can reduce stress levels.

Based at the University of California, the research team rallied 20 romantic couples to take part in the experiment.

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Females underwent a scan while their partners received unpleasant electric shocks.

Those who held their partner’s arms while they experienced pain had higher levels of activity in the ventral striatum than those who didn’t.

The ventral striatum – a part of the brain – is associated with maternal behaviour.

Additionally, the women who held their partner’s arms also experienced reduced activity in the brain associated with stress.

The researchers concluded that support giving – in the form of physical reassurance – was beneficial for the receiver and the giver.

Moreover, hugging may help protect you from illness. Published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers observed 404 adult participants.

The research team examined if hugs help to buffer against susceptibility to diseases.

The receipt of hugs was assessed during telephone interviews on 14 consecutive evenings.

Subsequently, the participants were exposed to a virus that causes a common cold and were monitored in quarantine to assess infection and illness signs.

The researchers noted that hugging had a “stress-buffering effect”, and the greater number of hugs predicted less-severe illness signs.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina, USA, have shown that hugging can boost heart health too.

They had around 200 adults who they split into two groups.

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One group had romantic partners hold hands for 10 minutes followed by a 20-second hug with each other.

The other group had romantic partners who sat in silence for 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

Data revealed that those in the hand-holding and hugging group showed great reductions in blood pressure levels compared to the other group.

So far, hugging has been shown to reduce stress and blood pressure, while enhancing immunity.

These factors combined could potentially lead to a much longer, healthier life.

But how many hugs do we need to reap the benefits of this touching gesture?

According to family therapist Virginia Satir, we need “four hugs a day for survival”.

She added: “We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

And so it would seem, the more hugs, the better for your emotional and physical well-being.

These factors combined could potentially lead to a much longer, healthier life.

But how many hugs do we need to reap the benefits of this touching gesture?

According to family therapist Virginia Satir, we need “four hugs a day for survival”.

She added: “We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

And so it would seem, the more hugs, the better for your emotional and physical well-being.

These factors combined could potentially lead to a much longer, healthier life.

But how many hugs do we need to reap the benefits of this touching gesture?

According to family therapist Virginia Satir, we need “four hugs a day for survival”.

She added: “We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

And so it would seem, the more hugs, the better for your emotional and physical well-being.

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