7 beautiful benefits of hugs

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Of course, we all know cuddling someone we love is fun and enjoyable, but did you know it's also good for us? It's true, hugs have amazing benefits, including how they affect our physical and mental health, and even improve our relationships.

The benefits of hugs don't just come from romantic relationships, either. You'll also find improvements to your health and relationships by snuggling next to family and friends! Even just sitting next to your friend with your arm around them will likely provide cuddling benefits.

Most of us don't need more motivation to want to cuddle up next to the person we love, but reading about these benefits of hugs might have you looking around to see where is your favorite cuddly partner!

Table of Contents

Increases serotonin

Cuddling together is one of the healthiest ways to be close to someone you love!

Serotonin is one of our "happy chemicals" and cuddling helps increase serotonin levels in our brain, relieving anxiety and giving us a natural mood boost. When it comes to natural antidepressants, is there anything healthier than a little hug to get those happy hormones flowing again?

Promotes relationship satisfaction

In a 4-week study of married couples, it was found that even controlling for other factors, increased cuddling in a relationship improved levels of relationship satisfaction couples feel. This means that while everything else in the relationship stays pretty much the same, increasing the time spent cuddling improves how couples view their relationship! What a nice and simple "relationship trick".

Increases oxytocin

Oxytocin is released into the body through touch and is often called the "love hormone" because it helps inspire all those warm, fuzzy feelings we have for each other. Oxytocin also plays an important role in many different birth and breastfeeding processes and is part of why most mothers and babies feel an immediate connection to each other. It is an important part of any close and loving relationship; Harvard Health also called it "the hug hormone".

Increases the likelihood of sexual intimacy

One of the many benefits of snuggling up with your romantic partner!

Of course, this doesn't apply in all cuddling situations, but if you're cuddling your partner, it often is . Sex is a very important part of a healthy romantic relationship, and one of the main benefits of hugs is that they very often lead to more...