Whether cuddling with an significant other, a friend, a family member, or even a dog, everyone loves the feeling of warmth they get when laying next to someone else. Isn’t it nice to find out that cuddling has health benefits associated with it too?!
For starters, cuddling releases a hormone called oxytocin, or else known as the “feel-good” hormone. The levels of this hormone drive up as the bodies are intertwined within one another and increases over-all happiness. Furthermore, cuddling is known to reduce stress, pain, and anxiety. This also connects to the release of oxytocin, also labeled a “bonding” hormone, because of the fact that it increases your happiness. Adding to the benefits of releasing oxytocin, it is also said that it will increase hormones that help fight infection (basically stating that you are feeling too good and too healthy for your body to focus on getting sick so instead your immune system fights to rid your body of anything potentially harmful).
Following that idea, cuddling is known to improve communication between two people. We all know that non-verbal actions tend to speak the loudest to us. By feeling a body so close to yours and, in return, knowing that the person next to you wants to feel you just as close to them, provides a sense of security and comfort. It is known to deepen bonds between the people involved. After-all, you wouldn’t simply cuddle with a stranger would you? Instead you cuddle with someone who you have the desire to be around and who you feel comfortable next to. After many “cuddle sessions”, you get to know each other further and become more attached mentally, physically, and often emotionally.
As you may notice every time you hug a loved one, warm and welcoming feelings are exchanged from one body to the other. Little signs of affection like hugs, kisses, and yes– cuddling- provide a feel-good environment and often allow people to escape the stress and tension that fills their heads on a regular basis. Being around people who make you feel loved and secure sure does have benefits and they should be taken advantage of as long as you have these loved ones around!
Here is a funny clip from Family Guy about cuddling! (I personally love this episode!)
http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/sex-and-love/5-health-reasons-make-time-cuddling
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-surprising-benefits-cuddling-that-make-you-want-cuddle-someone-now.html
The link you added to your comment really touched my heart. The man gives a story about bringing his pet to the vet & it immediately reminded me of the time I was at the vet and had to put my dog to sleep. Stories about pets can be just as touching as stories about family members because they do, in fact, become family to many people. You also mentioned that you have had over 25 pets in your life! Wow! I’ve had quite a bit of pets myself but only two dogs in my lifetime who passed not too long before coming to college. Every time I go home, I sure do miss their presence and wish I had their energy and love waiting for me at home. It is evident that pets increase happiness and comfort in humans just as other humans are capable of doing!
I found it interesting that pets can have the same effect on people as cuddling with other people would. Could cuddling be seen as a soft endpoint or even the Texas sharp shooter problem? Would this be conducted as an observational study or a randomized experiment? If it was randomized the scientists would control and monitor the cuddling to see how it effects the levels of oxytocin. Yet it is almost an observational study because the scientists would just monitor what exactly is going on and record the results. This post would suggest that there is a correlation between cuddling and happiness but we cannot say that cuddling causes happiness. With this study we must consider third confounding variables and we can never rule out chance.
I agree with both of you that animals may have a similar effect on humans. When I was home I would lay down with my dogs at least once a day while watching tv but once I got to college that obviously stopped. I have probably been sick about 4 times over the past 3 years; however, since I’ve been at college I’ve gotten sick 4 times over the past 3 months. I’m not sure if releasing the oxytocin hormone helps your immune health but I wouldn’t be surprised being that I’ve gotten more sick than I ever have been. Very interesting!
After reading your post I couldn’t help but to think about the possibility that these same chemicals that are a result of being close to and cuddling animals as well. A a person who has had over 25 pets throughout my life, I wondered if animals can elicits the same reactions of happiness as another person. I know personally, cuddling my favorite cat is so calming and nice, and on the internet so many articles can be found about how people experienced oxytocin increases with their pets! http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/04/does-your-dog-or-cat-actually-love-you/360784/?single_page=true Here, a man talks about his experience and experiments with those of 100 other people on how many react with pets. The experience may be different, but people and pets increase happiness when cuddled it would seem!