Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
Health

A Hug A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

IANS, 18 Dec, 2014 12:40 PM
    It may not be a far-fetched idea to replace apple a day with a hug as researchers have found that more frequent hugs protect stressed people from getting sick.
     
    The team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.
     
    "We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety,” said Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty University professor of psychology at CMU.
     
    Cohen and his team chose to study hugging as an example of social support because hugs are typically a marker of having a more intimate and close relationship with another person.
     
    They assessed the perceived social support and frequency of hugs in 404 healthy adults by a questionnaire.
     
    The participants were then intentionally exposed to a common cold virus and monitored in quarantine to assess infection and signs of illness.
     
    The results showed that perceived social support reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing conflicts.
     
    Hugs were responsible for one-third of the protective effect of social support.
     
    “This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the deleterious effects of stress,” said Cohen.
     
    The research appeared in the journal Psychological Science.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Mental illness doubles cardiac, stroke risks

    Mental illness doubles cardiac, stroke risks
    Psychiatric medications, unhealthy activities and access to health care are three major factors that account for the increased risk, the findings showed....

    Mental illness doubles cardiac, stroke risks

    'Spooning' aggravates back pain in women

    'Spooning' aggravates back pain in women
    For women suffering from back pain, spooning - a sexual intercourse position where couples lie on their sides curled in the same direction - may not be the best option....

    'Spooning' aggravates back pain in women

    'Diabetic mother may beget obese daughters'

    'Diabetic mother may beget obese daughters'
    Women who developed gestational diabetes and were overweight before pregnancy were at a higher risk of begetting daughters who became...

    'Diabetic mother may beget obese daughters'

    Single protein behind successful fertilisation

    Single protein behind successful fertilisation
    An international team of researchers has discovered how a single protein oversees the processing of DNA during sperm and egg generation for successful fertilisation....

    Single protein behind successful fertilisation

    Ebola cases exceed 10,000: WHO

    Ebola cases exceed 10,000: WHO
    The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its latest report Saturday said the number of Ebola virus cases has exceeded 10,000, with 4,922 deaths....

    Ebola cases exceed 10,000: WHO

    As A Bad Virus Reaches The Big City, Some Questions And Answers About Hazards From Ebola

    As A Bad Virus Reaches The Big City, Some Questions And Answers About Hazards From Ebola
    NEW YORK - Now that a doctor in New York has been diagnosed with Ebola, health officials are once again stressing that the virus poses little risk in the U.S.

    As A Bad Virus Reaches The Big City, Some Questions And Answers About Hazards From Ebola