HUGS BREED MORE HUGS

Over the years, I have come to realize that most of my friends who are exposed to hugs are often very expressive and warm, while those who are not hugged very much or are not shown affection by their family usually grow up putting a distance between themselves and other people. I also realized from observation that children in hugging households are equipped with emotional skills that facilitate healthy interpersonal relationships.

Hugging is a gesture of affirmation, appreciation, and acknowledgement. A child who is hugged often acquires a positive self-concept, whereas a child who is hug-starved or does not receive any other form of affirmation at home will start asking, “Am I loved here?” The act of hugging transfers energy and generates positive emotional stimulation, resulting in happiness!! Besides feeling connected through a hug, we feel safe, we feel supported, we feel understood, we feel important, we feel accepted. Physical contact and stimulation are absolutely necessary for our overall well-being. Hugging a person by wrapping one's arms around the other's neck or waist or touching faces cheek to cheek is, without a doubt, one of the most common demonstrations of affection. And not only do children need a hug, our old parents, our friends and even our colleagues.

Whenever I read the newspapers, I used to ponder as so why some cultures bloodier than others? Why is it that some people from some cultural background take great pleasure in "killing, torturing, or mutilating the enemy." Others did not. What is the difference? I feel it is physical affection - touching, holding, and carrying!! The communities that hugged their kids were relatively peaceful. The cultures that treated their children coldly produced brutal adults. If your relationship with somebody is not working, try hugging him 20 times a day and there will be a significant difference!!

Hugging is being used even as an aid in treating some physical illnesses. For example, touch stimulates nerve endings, thereby helping in relieving pain. Any health problem makes the sufferer feel vulnerable, frightened, angry, frustrated and helpless. Hugging can give him the positive emotional state necessary to make these changes. In one study, pet ownership was seen to contribute to the survival of heart patients. The cuddling of pets has a soothing effect that reduces the stress levels in heart attack victims.

Dear friend, try to recollect the last time you hugged somebody or somebody hugged you. If it was too long ago or if the answer may be 'never', you are the kind who flinches from physical contact! So the next time we meet, let’s hug to seal a friendship 