The survey, which involved more than 1,000 men and women, showed that they both give particular importance to hugging – but for a different reason. Men like to hug, because they can smell a loved one, feel peace, pleasure, and warmth, as well as receive a confirmation of love. Women put the confirmation of love in the first place, and then list a sense of intimacy, security, support, and warmth. Hugging for women is also a sign of being needed and the opportunity to share their feelings.
Meanwhile, according to the research by the University of North Carolina, hugging can help feel better. The results of the study confirm that women with high blood pressure who hugged their partner every day had lower blood pressure than those who did not. Pressure normalization, in turn, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to the researchers, positive emotions caused by hugging can stimulate useful physiological and biological processes. The skin and subcutaneous tissue contain a network of complex neural receptors (Vater-Pacini corpuscles), which transmit signals into the brain through the vagus nerve. According to a theory put forward by the researchers, stimulation of the vagus nerve contributes to the level of oxytocin in the blood, which leads to a positive effect of hugging.
