Hugging can provide a feeling of reassurance and has multiple reported benefits, including better heart health and improved immune function. Stress, a state of worry or mental tension, prompts us to address challenges or threats, but excessive or long-lasting stress takes a toll on physical and mental wellness. Strategies to cope with stress may thus improve our well-being. Check out this study investigating how a short hug influences the body’s stress response.
Key Takeaways
A stressful experience increases cortisol hormone levels, particularly in men
Hugging for 20 seconds prevents cortisol increase in women, but not in men
The stress-induced increase in blood pressure is not affected by hugging
Hugging Before Stressful Experience Prevents Cortisol Increase in Women
Whether to greet someone, show affection, or console people who are sad, hugging is a very common form of social touch across cultures. Research has shown that hugs, especially longer ones, not only bring about positive emotions but also support positive physiological responses, such as lowering blood pressure and promoting healthy immune function.
A link between hugging and the stress response as an explanation for its health support effect has been suggested. Indeed, having the support of others, particularly through social touch, is a known buffer against stress and high cortisol.
In women, prolonged social touch has been shown to increase relaxation; even simply hugging a human-shaped device while talking on the phone lowered the levels of cortisol, widely known as the “stress hormone” as it regulates your body’s stress response. But the benefits of hugging have been reported in men as well, with hugs linked to better adaptation to conflict. And it’s not just human touch that can help to reduce stress: even simply petting a dog may decrease cortisol levels.
The stress response, also known as the ”fight-or-flight” response is a natural body reaction to changes or challenges, entailing several different physical, emotional, and behavioral responses. But stress can also affect mental well-being. Though long-term stress has been regarded as the primary culprit, acute stress has also been associated with increases in negative mood, highlighting how important it is to regulate stress in order to improve well-being.
However, evidence related to the effects of physical contact on acute stress is limited. To fill this gap, researchers in Germany explored whether shorter hugs can also buffer against stress. They hypothesized that hugging is associated with lower cortisol levels and blood pressure response to a stressful experience.
The team recruited couples in romantic relationships. All 76 participants, ages 19 to 32, underwent a stress induction procedure, namely the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test wherein participants place a hand in an ice-cold water bath for up to three minutes (min). They were split into two groups: half of the couples hugged for 20 seconds before the stress procedure, whereas the other half did not.
Results showed increased cortisol levels both at 15 and 25 min after the stress induction procedure relative to baseline, which indicates a successful induction of a stress response. This was particularly noteworthy in men. Importantly, women in the hugging group showed lower cortisol levels than those who did not hug at both 15 min and 25 min after stress induction. No such effect was seen in men.
As would be expected under stress, blood pressure increased during the stress induction experiment, but significant decreases in systolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts) after it ended were also noted relative to baseline. Men had higher systolic blood pressure increases than women. Conversely, as measured with a specific scale, both positive and negative emotions decreased 25 min after the stressful experience relative to before and during the experience itself.
Overall, the findings showed reduced cortisol in women (but not in men) who hugged their significant other relative to controls. Blood pressure and ratings of affective state did not change as a result of hugging. This means that the researchers’ hypothesis was partly confirmed.
As for the link between hugging and lower cortisol in women only, this sex difference could not be attributed to women and men rating their relationships differently, as their relationship satisfaction was similar. According to the scientists, a possible explanation for this could be that women release more oxytocin, known as the love hormone, as a result of hugging, which ultimately decreases cortisol release in the human body. High oxytocin could come from a greater perception of pleasantness from hugging and also from a differential response to stress in women, in that they increase care and protection for offspring. However, as a potential sex difference in the amount of oxytocin released due to stress is a matter of debate, more research is needed. While oxytocin was hypothesized to be the explanation, the researchers did not actually measure it in this study.
Regarding the lack of effect of hugging on blood pressure, unlike in previous research exploring social touch, the investigators speculated that it might be due to the unpleasantness of having a hand in cold water for a long enough period, which can activate the same bodily mechanism that increases blood pressure.
Remarkably, the cortisol buffering effect of hugging reported in this study could have impactful implications for everyday life. High cortisol has been associated with poor memory retrieval, something that may affect performance in an exam or a job interview. So, a short-term hug might be a good way to improve performance and well-being in such stressful situations. If, of course, the person facing that challenge wants the hug.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Referenced study:
Berret, G, Cebula, C, Wortelmann, BM, Papadopoulou, P, Wolf, OT, Ocklenburg, S, Packeiser, J: Romantic partner embraces reduce cortisol release after acute stress induction in women but not in men. Plos One. 2022, 17(5):e0266887. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266887.
No Comments Yet
Sign in or Register to Comment