--- title: 4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health description: Research suggests that hugs can deliver some real health benefits, from easing stress to lowering blood pressure. canonical: https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-28T17:57:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:23.149Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health og:description: They ease stress and can lower blood pressure og:url: https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc22571296691b393/6988cac7fb4eac3b3c891b5c/hugs-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5009 og:image:height: 2818 og:image:alt: Girls hugging in front of Christmas trees og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health twitter:description: They ease stress and can lower blood pressure twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc22571296691b393/6988cac7fb4eac3b3c891b5c/hugs-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Obama Gives Plenty of Hugs Following His Farewell Speech [Watch (HLS stream): Obama Gives Plenty of Hugs Following His Farewell Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DweZRtrR.m3u8) (0:29)  _Published 2017-01-11. President Obama’s Tuesday evening remarks were billed as a requiem for his time in office, the last time he would address the nation while holding the title as commander-in-chief._ by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Apr 28, 2017 5:57 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Apr 28, 2017 5:57 PM UTC Nothing is cozier than a hug. Whether it’s a mama-daughter embrace or a sweet squeeze with your significant other, hugs make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. But they do more than make us feel good: Research suggests that hugs can deliver some real health benefits, from easing [stress](http://www.health.com/stress/beat-stress) to lowering blood pressure. Here, four ways a warm embrace can be good for both your mind and body. ### **They help us feel supported** Hugs don’t just bring us closer to others in a literal sense: they also trigger the release of [oxytocin](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20568672,00.html#-o-is-for-oxytocin-0), a chemical associated with bonding behaviors. “Studies show that people feel better and more connected to their partner when they hug or touch frequently,” Terri Orbuch, PhD, a relationship expert and author of [_5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great_](https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Take-Marriage-Great/dp/1632990563/?tag=timecom-20)_,_ told _Health_ in an email_._ “When we physically connect through a hug, it makes us feel emotionally and psychologically connected to the other person, it calms us, and it shows support.” No harm in that. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_20 Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally_](http://www.health.com/heart-disease/lower-blood-pressure-naturally/?xid=time) ### **They may lower blood pressure** In addition to promoting intimacy, oxytocin may also influence a key health stat. A small study of 59 premenopausal women published in the journal [_Biological Psychology_](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051104001632)found thatfrequent hugs between the women and their partners were linked to both higher levels of oxytocin and lower blood pressure. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_The Scientific Reason Why You Should Spend More Time Cuddling_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/the-scientific-reason-you-should-spend-more-time-cuddling/?xid=time) ### **They ease stress** Here’s science-backed proof that a hug from mom is basically unbeatable. When researchers from the [University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine](http://www.med.wisc.edu/news-events/uw-madison-research-finds-moms-comfort-lowers-stress-levels/27300) put a group of girls ages 7 to 12 in stressful situations—asking them to give impromptu speeches or solve math problems in front of strangers—the ones who received a hug or phone call from their mothers after the anxiety-provoking experience had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. ### **They may lower your risk of infections** Who knew cuddling could help keep you sniffle-free?In a 2014 study from[Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4323947/), researchers found that stressed-out people (who are [more likely to get sick](http://www.health.com/stress/stressed-sick)) had a reduced risk of infection after being exposed to a common cold virus if they felt like they had adequate social support in their lives and received more frequent hugs. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/relationships/health-benefits-hugs/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/"},"headline":"4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health","datePublished":"2017-04-28T17:57:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:23.149Z","description":"Research suggests that hugs can deliver some real health benefits, from easing stress to lowering blood pressure.","url":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/","keywords":["Research"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc22571296691b393/6988cac7fb4eac3b3c891b5c/hugs-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthea Levi / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc22571296691b393/6988cac7fb4eac3b3c891b5c/hugs-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Girls hugging in front of Christmas trees","caption":"Girls hugging in front of Christmas trees","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/","name":"4 Reasons Why Hugs Are Good for Your Health"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Obama Gives Plenty of Hugs Following His Farewell Speech","description":"President Obama’s Tuesday evening remarks were billed as a requiem for his time in office, the last time he would address the nation while holding the title as commander-in-chief.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/DweZRtrR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-01-11T05:16:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DweZRtrR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/","duration":"PT29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4756290/hugs-health-benefits/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```