Just A 20 Second Hug is all You Need!

Family therapist Virginia Satir has said, “We need four hugs a day to survive, eight hugs to keep us as we are, and 12 hugs to grow.” But while Satir had the right idea, research suggests that the length of our hugs matters more than the number of hugs we have.

20 seconds is all you need

In one hugging study, almost 200 people (partners in couples that were living together) were given the very stressful task of public speaking. But before the task, half the group had the benefit of a 20-second hug from their partner, while the other half just rested quietly on their own. Both men and women in the hugging group showed lower stress levels: Having a supportive partner hug them for 20 seconds actually decreased stress.

Photo credit: sheideas.com