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When a loved one has a tough day, you probably give him a hug without thinking. And a new study says that a simple act can have a greater effect than you realize.
Hugs can have a measurable impact on mood and stress after a social conflict, according to an article published Wednesday in PLOS One. The study found that the gesture seemed to increase positive feelings and reduce negative feelings on days when people were experiencing relationship problems.
"Very simple and straightforward behavior – hugging – could be an effective way of supporting men and women facing conflict in their relationships," says co-author Michael Murphy, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute's Laboratory for the Study. Carnegie Mellon University. stress, immunity and disease.
For the study, Murphy and his colleagues interviewed 404 adults by phone every night for two weeks. Each person was asked about her mood, whether she had experienced a conflict and whether she had been hugged that day, among other issues. Each person also took a physical exam and completed a questionnaire on their health network and social network at the beginning of the study.
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The researchers found that hugs were associated with an increase in positive mood indicators and a reduction in negative indicators; the opposite was true of relationship conflicts. And the days when they both happened, people tended to report fewer negative and positive feelings than days when they had experienced conflict but not hugs.
This trend was true regardless of gender, age, race, marital status, overall number of social interactions, and average mood. It even continued until the next day, although the decline in negative feelings was more pronounced on the second day than that of the positives.
It goes without saying that social support would help a person feel better in a stressful situation, but Murphy says there is conflicting evidence in this area. On one hand, studies have shown that people who perceive their social networks as loving and caring people tend to get out of stress better. But, paradoxically, other studies have shown that when people receive social support from friends or family members, this can make matters worse. This may be because people engage in counterproductive behaviors, such as giving spontaneous counseling or getting into problem solving right away, when they try to support their loved ones and involuntarily make them feel incompetent or criticized.
More implicit demonstrations of support, such as physical contact or service to someone, might be better because they "give people the impression of worrying about their fate, that". they have someone who's there for them, but that's no judgment, "Murphy said. And cuddles could have a length in advance, even in this category: research also suggests that physical contact can cause beneficial physiological changes, such as reduced stress-related brain and cardiac activity and the release of oxytocin, a mood-enhancing hormone, says Murphy.
Of course, some people do not like to be kissed and, even for the most sensitive, the answers probably vary depending on the origin of the abduction. Murphy's study did not examine the impact of such distinctions on people's reactions to embraces, but he says he and his colleagues are working on another study that will include more detailed questions, such as whether hug was explicitly wanted and who gave it.
Although the current results are preliminary, Murphy explains that they provide a compelling reason to reach out, literally, to loved ones in trouble.
"Hugs, at least among loved ones, could be a simple, direct, and effective way to show support for someone you care about and who is in conflict with a relationship in your life," Murphy says.
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