2024-01-28 04:18:45
Author: Diego Arias Serna / Special for NEW CRONICA QUINDÍO
Human beings who, as children, receive that positive emotional, affective and security discharge that a hug means, will smile more easily at life in the face of the difficulties of their own existence.
On January 21, International Hug Day was celebrated, a date to reflect on an act of both humans and animals. Who more than a mother and her baby to teach the importance of that instinctive fact that, when bringing the bodies closer, the mother hugging the child transmits security and the child feels protected and both cultivate affection. That event becomes significant because it gives happiness and, importantly, health. That’s why it’s said: don’t eat three pastas, rather receive and give three hugs. How did this commemoration originate that the United Nations does not have it institutionalized?
The date was the idea of psychologist Kevin Zaborney from the University of Michigan, USA, who analyzed the effects of stress among members of the institution. His observation led him to propose that this discomfort was due to the few displays of affection from people in public, as well as between members of his family. As a ‘remedy’ he proposed creating a holiday that offered a chance to do something that we all like: giving and receiving hugs, concluding that the greater the number of hugs received, the less stress and better mental, emotional and physical health. So, since 1986, every January 21st, the hug is paid tribute.
Why remember that day if the hug has been present in various human scenarios? Poetry, novels, painting, sculpture, etc. They have been protagonists of that manifestation of affection. Let’s evoke a few: “the hug is something great. It is the perfect way to show the love we feel when we cannot find the right word”: Mario Benedetti (1920-2009), Uruguay. By the same Uruguayan author, the poem “That hug” stands out: A hug can last seconds, / but its effects can last a lifetime. (…), “We were the embrace of love in which heaven and earth united”: Rosario Castellanos (1925-1974), Mexico. Fernando Botero (1932-2023), Colombia, has given us beautiful hugs in paintings and sculptures.
Did all these characters know the importance of a hug? Although they remind us that there is an “International Hug Day”, people, especially since the mid-20th century and so far in the 21st, seem to shy away from the act of intertwining. The rush, the technology, the importance of success, hatred, intolerance, social conflicts, wars, are separating humanity and can bring us closer to a catastrophe.
But hope is not lost, fortunately. There are people and organizations that fight to preserve the hug. Such is the case of Anna Nathan and Neil Urquhart, who have opened a hug school in London. There, a one-day class is taught in which you learn how to do it in the best possible way and choose the right one for each person; This is reported by Joana Machado de Oliveira, in her article “The contact between two souls”, published on December 25, 2023 in the magazine Slocum Magazine, where she is an editor.
Lea:Thinking, essential in school
Hug, powerful non-verbal communication
Since health is important for anyone, we are going to present what scientists say regarding how healthy hugging is. According to the aforementioned media, an American study published in the journal Psychological Science highlights the great healing power of a hug.
The study, carried out by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Virginia (USA), highlighted its effectiveness on psychophysical health. According to Machado, “It carries great beneficial power. Among other things, it also contains a very deep symbolic meaning, because it refers to childhood, to the relationship with the mother, to sharing emotions. It is a very powerful non-verbal communication”.
US social worker and psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916-1988), recognized with several honorary doctorates, including one in 1978 in social sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and in 1986 a doctorate from the Professional School of Psychological Studies, is cited in the aforementioned article, when it is asked: how many hugs do you need per day? Satir prescribes these doses: “we need 4 hugs a day to survive. We need 8 hugs a day to stay healthy. To grow we need 12 hugs a day.”
Even the Chinese have become involved in its importance. According to the writing called “The Contact Between Two Souls” by the aforementioned author, “in a daycare center in eastern China, in Yangzhou, parents were asked to pay 80 yuan (regarding 10 euros) more per month for a special service. That is, so that teachers hug their children, especially when they arrive and leave school.”
Thinking regarding animals, Machado also asked himself: “Are there other species that hug like humans?” rexplaining that “apes certainly do it, but not only them. An example is the bonobo (Pan paniscus). According to Zanna Clay, a comparative and developmental psychologist and primatologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, this behavior is most common in the sanctuary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the specimens that have been uprooted by hunting are found, what they would be in the wild.”
He noted that “this behavior, according to Clay, probably has its origin in the maternal behavior of female bonobos, who, like humans with a baby, cradle their young when they are small. Hugs are more frequent in young people and usually occur following a bonobo has experienced conflict or stress. The evidence points to the likelihood that hugging calms these primates; chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), close relatives of bonobos, also hug.”
How much does it improve health?
Joana Machado de Oliveira ends her article by stating: hundreds of species have been observed ‘hugging’ each other to give each other comfort and warmth. This gesture, therefore, seems to be a universal sign of “peace and love.” Continuing with its importance, we present what is stated in this regard by TecSalud, which on its website reveals: “We are the Tecnológico de Monterrey Health System (Mexico), leaders and experts in health care, research, innovation and education.” The text was published on January 30, 2023 and reviewed by Alejandra Cortés.
She is a Health Coach, that is, a health coach, who, among other things, comments: “beyond representing feelings and emotions, hugs directly impact health, since it is proven that they reduce depression, loneliness, anxiety and stress; They increase confidence, security and generate good health. As if this were not enough, hugging reduces feelings of anger and apathy, relaxes muscles, releases tension from the body, increases self-esteem, lowers blood pressure and, by stimulating the level of oxygen in the blood, rejuvenates the body and “strengthens the immune system by raising serotonin.”
For greater certainty of its statements, supported by science, it states: “Scientists from Duke University, in the United States, assure that a person needs to receive hugs and caresses from the first years of life, to prevent their neurons from dying due to the absence of physical contact. When other people caress or hug, the levels of oxytocin in the blood, known as the love hormone, increase.” Likewise, Cortés emphasizes: Arms can comfort us, make us feel safe, reassure, but they can also bring many emotional, mental and physical benefits.”
Hug therapy
The aforementioned health coach cites the seven benefits of receiving and giving hugs: 1. Reduces stress and anxiety. 2. Lower heart rate and blood pressure. 3. Reduces pain, 4. Helps the immune system. 5. Complete the 7 benefits: improving the sleep cycle, self-esteem and personal relationships.
From his training and experience, he estimates that “through the regulation of hormones, including oxytocin and cortisol, the arms can positively affect the response of our immune system to diseases. “That doesn’t mean you won’t get sick, but it can help reduce serious symptoms.” And something important, the hug is a ‘medicine’ that does not generate contraindications, and costs us nothing.
1706435787
#hug #medicine #contraindications
