Close X
Saturday, November 16, 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

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids
    Parents may wish to openly monitor cell phones of their kids, and check what types of messages they are receiving as researchers have found that kids who receive sexually suggestive text or photo - sexts - are likely to have had sex.

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters
    It is the sperm quality of the donor and not his age that matters in the success of fertility treatment with sperm donation, a study says.

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!
    Here comes a shocker. Contrary to popular perception that playing violent video games makes people aggressive, a new study says playing such games may actually lead to increased moral sensitivity and pro-social behaviour in real life.

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!
    Career women who postpone motherhood have reason to cheer as researchers have found that women who have babies later in life are likely to live longer.

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age
    Sleep problems are associated with worse memory and executive functions in older people, says a study.

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person
    Every day, I spring out of bed at six in the morning intending to spread sweetness and light all day. And then the idiots happen.

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person