Let's Hug Day is celebrated on Dec.3 to appreciate the act of embracing someone, which is a universal form of expressing a person's love and care.

Apart from communicating feelings of care and affection, hugging can provide several health benefits:

  1. Reduce stress: Scientists believe hugging someone not only calms the person who receives the touch but also the person who gives the hug.
  2. Protect you from illness: Studies have shown that hugging may reduce the chance of a person getting sick.
  3. Improved heart health: Hugs can help to reduce blood pressure levels and heart rates, which in turn can improve heart health.
  4. Reduce anxiety and pain: Studies have proven that some forms of touches like hugs can help reduce pain and to cope with anxiety in people with low self-esteem.
  5. Make you happier: Hugs can activate the production of oxytocin or "cuddle hormone," which helps to improve happiness and reduce stress.

Here are some quotes that will help you understand the power of hugs (Courtesy: Everyday Power)

  1. "A hug is like a boomerang – you get it back right away." – Bil Keane
  2. "A hug makes you feel good all day." – Kathleen Keating
  3. "I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time." – Drew Barrymore
  4. "Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism." – Leo Buscaglia
  5. "Feel the presence of love wrapped up within a hug." – Robert M. Hensel
  6. "Hugs can do great amounts of good – especially for children." – Princess Diana
  7. "I love hugging people. I still hug everybody in my meet-and-greet lines." – Taylor Swift
  8. "Sometimes a silent hug is the only thing to say." – Robert Brault
  9. "Some moments can only be cured with a big squishy grandma hug." – Dan Pearce
  10. "Hugs and kisses are ways to express what cannot be said." – Kacie Conroy
  11. "Be a love pharmacist: dispense hugs like medicine — they are!" – Terri Guillemets
  12. "We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth." – Virginia Star
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