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.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.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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