If you're having a bad day, try asking for a hug. According to a new study, it really DOES make us feel better. And not just for a few seconds . . .
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh tracked 400 men and women for two weeks, and talked to them every night about how their day went.
They asked about things like social activities . . . conflicts they'd had . . . resolutions to those conflicts . . . and whether they'd HUGGED anyone that day.
And they found that when people received at least one hug on the same day something bad happened, they were less likely to DWELL on that one bad moment.
In other words, being hugged helped prevent one bad thing from ruining someone's entire day. And the effect even carried over into the NEXT day.
They didn't ask people WHO they hugged. But obviously not all hugs are created equal. And hugging a random person probably won't have the same effect as hugging your significant other, or your kids.
(Study Finds / PLOS)
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