Need a Hug? It's National Hugging Day

It's true, today really is set aside as National Hugging Day.

You may hear this referred to simply as Hug Day. It's an annual event dedicated to hugging that's celebrated on January 21.

Hug Day was created in 1986 by Kevin Zaborney, described as a Creative Social Entrepreneur.

The day is observed in the U. S., Canada, Brazil, and many other countries. 

History of Hugging

Of course, no one knows when hugging was invented. It's been a part of human behavior for thousands of years. 

In 2007, archeologists discovered a pair of human skeletons in a tomb near Mantua, Italy. They dubbed the skeletons the Lovers of Valdaro because they were buried holding each other in a tight embrace. Testing showed the pair of skeletons were about 6,000  years old.

I'm pretty sure hugs have been used since humans began interacting with each other. Hugs can be many things: comforting, platonic, soothing, reassuring, romantic, passionate, and a combination of several characteristics.

Parents hug their children which teaches children to hug those they love whether that's parents, grandparents, their sibling, their pets, or their teddy bears.

Odd Facts About Hugging

Studies have been done about this instinctive human behavior such as the one conducted at the 2008 Olympcics.

The study showed that spontaneous hugs between atheletes lasted about 3.17 seconds regardless of the gender of the huggers, their nationality, or their level of familiarity.

Studies conducted at airports found that people in emotionally neutral situations hugged to the right 92% of the time.

With people in emotional situations though, the hug can go either direction, but a hug to the right was given 81% of the time.

I find that interesting. Perhaps it's another example of body language?

A hug can help one deal better with stress. In a test of those who are stressed by public speaking, a hug  given to the speaker before entering the stage offered stress relief.

Humans aren't the only creatures who hug. Colombian spider monkeys, a higher social monkey species also hug, but there are 2 distinct types of hugs.

They embrace with the arms the way humans do, but they also do a face embrace where they rub their faces together. By the way, these monkeys primarily hug to the left.

Read more about these facts I found in an article from Psychology Today.

Takeaway Truth

Have you hugged anyone today? Have you been hugged today? Don't wait to receive a hug. Give a few, and you'll get an emotional return on that investment of a few minutes of your time.

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