New Findings on the Stress-Relieving Power of Hugs

Life can be quite stressful, and people have many different ways of coping with stress. One way to make somebody feel better about a stressful situation that is common across the world is to give the stressed-out person a heartfelt hug. While many people would agree that hugs are helpful when they are feeling stressed, it is not well known on a biopsychological level how exactly hugs affect the stress response. Therefore, a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health focused on investigating the biopsychological underpinning of how hugs regulate stress (Romney and co-workers, 2023).

A recent study on how hugging affects stress hormones

In the study, the research team led by scientist Chelsea E. Romney from the Department of Psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, used a technique called ecological momentary assessment (or short: EMA) to ask volunteers about their hugging habits.

Overall, 112 students volunteered to participate in the study. To assess their hugging habits, the scientists sent them five text messages asking about whether they hugged or not in a three-hour slot on three different days. So, each volunteer gave information about their hugging habits on a maximum of 15 occasions. Moreover, volunteers were given sampling kits and instructions to provide saliva samples to measure stress hormones. This was done immediately after waking up and 30 minutes later.

Effect of hugging on stress hormone levels

What did the scientists find out?

They used the saliva samples to determine cortisol levels. Cortisol is one of the most important stress hormones in humans. By comparing the saliva sample that was taken immediately after the volunteers woke up to the saliva sample taken 30 minutes later, the so-called CAR (cortisol awakening response) was determined. Cortisol is not evenly released through a 24-hour day, but typically has low levels at night that rise rapidly in the morning, which is why scientists often measure it in the morning. One idea is that the high levels of stress hormones in the morning prepare the person for coping with the challenges of the day ahead.

In the study, the scientists found an interesting association between hugging frequency and the CAR. On average, the volunteers reported that they had hugged on about 15 percent of the three-hour intervals in which data were collected in the study. Volunteers who reported more hugs in the EMA showed a statistically significant lower CAR the next morning compared to people reporting fewer hugs. This effect also remained stable when the scientists statistically controlled for biological sex and the average number of hugs somebody got.

Thus, taken together, hugging reduces stress hormone levels the next morning. The scientists suggested that hugging may act as a biological safety signal. Somebody who gets hugged a lot may reduce their anticipation of stress the next day, which results in a lower CAR.

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