Hug To Lessen Stress

Do you know that hugging someone you care for can reduce stress?

That’s what David Niven, Ph.D. says in his book, The 100 Simple Secrets of Healthy People: “The small acts that comfort us and show us our connection to other people are not trivial.  A hug is a means of giving and receiving affection – as well as a significant source of stress relief and comfort to our bodies.”

Laura Johnson, M.D., has studied the effects of personal contacts, including the amount of time family members and nurses spend with a patient.  She says that a daily dose of affection is needed by everyone for emotional well-being.

A University of North Carolina study also confirms that a brief hug with a loved one reduced the effects of stress on blood pressure and heart rate by half.

Having a very high estimation of ourselves, including disrespect for other, is another source of stress.  The effect: more stress and anger for us.  “Thinking that we’re always right is neither a helpful social trait nor a sound health habit,” emphasizes Dr. Niven.

“Feeling that you are better than anybody else, or feeling that you are always right, might seem empowering.  But really it’s mostly isolating.  It leads to a tremendous amount of tension,” concurs Dr. James Coyne, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Coyne and his colleagues videotaped heart patients’ arguments and grouped them according to the negativity of their interactions.  Those who were more negative toward the other person in arguments were 1-8 times as likely to die within four years as those who were given less negative ratings.

Researchers at the University of Bradford in England found that 62 percent of absolutist thinkers – people with a very high opinion of themselves and a low tolerance for compromise – suffered from high levels of anger and stress, which depressed the functioning of their immune systems.

Dr. Niven shares more relaxation tips:

• Let your stress out.  Keeping our problems within us only serves to isolate us from people who care about us.
• The less willing you are to share your problems with friends and loved ones, the more problems will overwhelm you – and the greater effect those problems will have on your health. 

(Our sincere thanks to Dr. Niven for permitting us to quote from his book; visit him at http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Niven-PhD/108425569181282)