Today is Global Hug Your Kids Day; the mission is pretty simple, every mother and father around the world should hug their children today and every day. Michelle Nichols, an award-winning entrepreneur, founded the day after her son died suddenly at 8 1/2 years old from brain cancer in 1998.
Some may just categorize this holiday with the silly holidays like National Fudge Day, but, for us, this day is incredibly important. We understand that showing affection is not always easy for some parents who grew up in homes where hugs were frowned upon, but science doesn’t lie, hugging has been proven to health benefits for parents and children.
Benefits of hugging
Hugging is a natural instinct for all species; when a mother is absent, most zoos offer the newborn animal a substitute to snuggle with – whether it be a stuffed animal or a surrogate mom – because the baby craves physical contact. The same is true for humans – have you ever noticed that babies sometimes cry just because they want to be held?
Whether you are a hugger or not, these examples should convince you to start hugging your child more often:
- According to an article in Scientific American, some children from deprived surroundings, such as orphanages, have different hormone levels than children who were raised by parents. In one study, the stress hormone cortisol was much higher in children from orphanages.
- In another study, children who experienced affection deprivation at a young age still had lower levels of oxytocin and vasopressin (hormones that have been linked to emotion and social bonding) even after spending years in a family home.
- The Touch Research Institute found that teens have less anxiety, feel less hostile and parents perceive less aggressive attitudes when the teens had received a therapeutic touch – like massage.
- In the hospital, parents are encourage to hold their newborns who are in intensive care because it has been proven to improve vital signs and it also lowers the parents stress levels.
Need some more benefits? Hugging has been proven to…
- Make us feel good because “the cuddle hormone” is released when we hug.
- Helps us build relationships because the “social bondng” hormone is released when we hug.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Significantly reduce worry about mortality.
- Decreases the feeling of loneliness instantly.
Don’t put off showing affection. The founder of this day found out the hard way that our time together is limited; please show your children you love them today and everyday.
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