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Do you prefer cuddling or a firm handshake? While hugs between friends were still quite unusual in the Netherlands a few decades ago, this seems to have changed more and more in recent years. Nowadays, too, there is more and more hugging in the Netherlands, even if only to move away from the formality of three kisses or the distance of a handshake.
However, we hug not only to greet each other, but also when we are excited, happy or sad, or to try to comfort each other. Cuddling is universally seen as comforting and makes us feel good. And it turns out that hugging makes us healthier and happier. That is precisely why cuddling is also very important in a relationship, even though we don’t hug each other as much as we should.
Reason to talk to you about the benefits of cuddling in a relationship. Because it’s time to call your partner over and give him or her a big hug.
What exactly is cuddling?
Cuddling is the loving or caring pressing of one or sometimes more people against each other. The hug is a common way to show affection, just like giving a kiss is. Unlike some other forms of physical intimacy, cuddling is widely accepted and even encouraged in many cultural and social contexts.
For example, young children often have a stuffed animal to meet their need for comfort, acceptance or tenderness. In the Dutch language, such a cuddly toy is often abbreviated to ‘knuffel’ or in the plural form: ‘knuffels’.
Cultural differences
In some cultures, such as France, Spain, and Latin America, it is common for male friends to hug each other as a greeting. A similar hug, often accompanied by a kiss on the cheek when meeting or parting, has also become increasingly common among women in Western Europe.
In Portugal and Brazil it is common to end letters and emails with Um abraço or Abraço , ‘a hug’, or ‘hug’. In Spanish-speaking countries it is customary to say ‘Un abrazo!’ when saying goodbye. , in the form of a ‘Goodbye!’, even without an actual hug having to take place.
Cuddling between loved ones is normal in most cultures, although the frequency and intensity can vary regionally. In Arab countries it is forbidden to give hugs in public between two people of the opposite sex.
20 seconds is what you need
People simply thrive on physical connection and hugging is one of the most powerful ways to show physical support. There is no better way to express affection , care, and love than by holding and cuddling each other. Hugs not only make us feel good, they also have real, physiological benefits for our health. Some of the many health benefits of cuddling are as follows:
1. Cuddling reduces stress
Several studies show that hugs and other physical connections lower levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, in the body. High levels of stress hormones can cause a range of health problems, including sleep problems, skin problems, obesity, and low immunity.
2. Cuddling improves heart health
Regular hugging and holding hands can help lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
3. Cuddling improves relationships
Hugs can benefit all types of relationships for two main reasons. They are another form of communication that conveys messages and feelings that words cannot. The second reason is that physical touch releases the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin , which improves bonding and trust and makes people feel closer to each other.
4. Cuddling reduces pain
When we hug, our bodies release ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins and our circulation is improved. These two things are considered natural pain relievers that can be helpful for people suffering from chronic pain conditions.
5. Hugs help reduce your fears
Scientists have found that touch can reduce anxiety in people with low self-esteem. Touch can also help people avoid isolating themselves when reminded of their mortality. They found that even touching an inanimate object, such as a teddy bear, helps reduce people’s anxiety about their existence.
6. Hugs help you communicate with others
Most human communication takes place verbally or through facial expressions. But touch is another important way people can send messages to each other. Scientists have discovered that even a complete stranger was able to express a wide range of emotions to another person just by touching different parts of their body.
Some of the emotions that emerge are anger, fear, disgust, love, gratitude, happiness, sadness and sympathy. Cuddling is a very comforting and communicative form of touch.
7. Cuddling increases self-confidence
Touch is a powerful language that we can use to convey feelings of safety, love, and connection to a larger community. When we feel down or lost, a hug can help ground us and remind us that we belong and are not alone.
8. A hug says more than 1000 words
Sometimes a hug says more than a thousand words. Cuddling is a physical interaction that is so immediate that it helps create intimacy and a close bond with another person. Hugs and affection make you feel emotionally connected. Touch in the form of hugs is also one of the first senses we experience when we are born.
Touching and cuddling are associated from an early age with soothing a crying baby. We can therefore say that this is the most important sense associated with health and well-being. And there are also benefits from a big hug in a relationship.
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