The hug is like a boomerang, you get it back immediately, said the American cartoonist Bill Keane.
But a new study finds that women get a lot more out of cuddling than men – by getting more stress relief – which may help explain men’s restraint when it comes to hugging a partner.
Researchers at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, analyzed 76 people in romantic relationships and measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol when they hugged briefly before taking part in a test designed to increase stress levels.
They found that women who hug their partners had lower cortisol levels than women who did not.
This suggests that for women, even a brief hug with a romantic partner before a stressful situation such as a job interview, presentation or exam can help relieve stress.
But there has been no change for men, suggesting that cuddling does not alleviate their anxiety.
Writing in the journal Plos One, the researchers said: “In conclusion, we found a cortisol buffering effect from hugs between romantic partners after a stress-inducing procedure.
“The effect was specific to women.
“This finding can have consequences for reducing stress in everyday situations, which often cause stress such as exams, oral presentations or job interviews.
Touch power is known to be important to humans, signaling safety and confidence and releasing the binding hormone oxytocin. Psychologists have even coined the term “skin starvation” for cases where people do not have intimacy in close contact.
Previous research has shown that massages, hugs combined with holding hands and hugs combined with gentle communication can reduce the signs of stress in women.
However, few studies have examined these effects in men, nor have they examined the effect of short hugs alone.
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