--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hugging relieves stress, boosts feelings…" description: "\"“Hugging relieves stress, boosts feelings of closeness, and even squelches pain. In one study, people assigned to give five hugs each day for a month, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/gretchen-rubin-867_different-people_hugging-relieves-stress-boosts-feelings_3025180.png" --- # Hugging relieves stress, boosts feelings of closeness, and… ![“Hugging relieves stress, boosts feelings of closeness, and even squelches pain. In one study, people assigned to give five hugs each day for a month, aiming to hug as many different people as they could, became happier.” quote by Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/gretchen-rubin-867_different-people_hugging-relieves-stress-boosts-feelings_3025180.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/gretchen-rubin-867_different-people_hugging-relieves-stress-boosts-feelings_3025180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/gretchen-rubin-867_different-people_hugging-relieves-stress-boosts-feelings_3025180.png) > ““Hugging relieves stress, boosts feelings of closeness, and even squelches pain. In one study, people assigned to give five hugs each day for a month, aiming to hug as many different people as they could, became happier.”” [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regular hugging reduces stress, fosters closeness, and eases pain, leading to greater happiness when practiced daily. **In simple terms:** Hugs improve mood and health. Key Takeaway Give frequent, sincere hugs. Themes well‑being social connection health Mood warm uplifting Type self‑help psychology When to use this quote - family gatherings - friend meet‑ups - workplace morale - therapy sessions - community events Key Concepts stress reduction bonding pain relief Questions to Reflect On - How can you offer support without hugging? - What alternatives promote similar closeness? A Different Perspective Not everyone is comfortable with physical touch. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hugging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hugging/) [Hugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hugs/) ## Related quotes > [We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-satir/we-need-4-hugs-a-day-for-survival-we-need-8-hugs-a-day-for/) [Virginia Satir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-satir/) > [“Specifically, he should: Initiate at least six hugs per day, holding each for at least six seconds.\* Stop what he’s doing and greet you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-stosny/specifically-he-should-initiate-at-least-six-hugs-per-day-holding/) [Steven Stosny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-stosny/) > [You need eight hugs a day. You'll be happier and the world will be a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-eight-hugs-a-day-you-ll-be-happier-and-the-world-will-be-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-jelbert/we-need-four-hugs-a-day-for-survival-we-need-eight-hugs-a-day-for/) [Will Jelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-jelbert/) > [Like so many other positive acts, it turns out that hugging boosts our immune system. Plus it just plain feels good! So hug someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan/like-so-many-other-positive-acts-it-turns-out-that-hugging-boosts-our/) [M. J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan/) > [“I don't do hugging. I don't like people touching me ever when there's no treat involved. It's too intimate and it bothers me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-don-t-do-hugging-i-don-t-like-people-touching-me-ever-when-there-s/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [I'm not a hugger. People make fun of me. It's something that I have a hard time with. If someone hugs me, I hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-m-not-a-hugger-people-make-fun-of-me-it-s-something-that-i-have-a/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [One of the best feeling in the world is when youre hugging the person you love and they hug you back even tighter. omg!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ramkran/one-of-the-best-feeling-in-the-world-is-when-youre-hugging-the-person/) [Christine Ramkran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ramkran/) > [One of the best feelings in the world is when you're hugging a person you love tightly and they hug you back even tighter ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/one-of-the-best-feelings-in-the-world-is-when-you-re-hugging-a-person/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [When we hug, our hearts connect and we know that we are not separate beings. Hugging with mindfulness and concentration can bring reconciliation, healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-we-hug-our-hearts-connect-and-we-know-that-we-are-not-separate/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“SOME PEOPLE EXCEL IN THE ART OF HUGGING. THEY SOMEHOW MANAGE TO HUG YOU WITH THEIR WHOLE BEING, NOT JUST THEIR ARMS. THEIR WARMTH…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-holden/some-people-excel-in-the-art-of-hugging-they-somehow-manage-to-hug/) [Kim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-holden/) > [“Human touch is vital. Without it, we wither. With it, we thrive. And it is good preventive medicine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/human-touch-is-vital-without-it-we-wither-with-it-we-thrive-and-it-is/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [Oh, I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug 10 people at a time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/oh-i-love-hugging-i-wish-i-was-an-octopus-so-i-could-hug-10-people-at/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [“Hugging her feels as comforting as a warm cup of coffee on a cold Boston winter night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evie-sterling/hugging-her-feels-as-comforting-as-a-warm-cup-of-coffee-on-a-cold/) Evie Sterling > [“Mo drives to his house. We both get out and meet around front of the truck’s bug-smeared grille. He hesitates, then hugs me. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-martinez/mo-drives-to-his-house-we-both-get-out-and-meet-around-front-of-the/) [Jessica Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-martinez/) ## More by Gretchen Rubin > [“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/second-splendid-truth-one-of-the-best-ways-to-make-yourself-happy-is/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/knowing-what-you-admire-in-others-is-a-wonderful-mirror-into-your/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-of-the-findings-that-really-interests-me-is-that-although-we/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good about themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/we-all-want-to-get-along-well-with-other-people-and-one-way-to-do/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [During my study of happiness, I noticed something that surprised me: I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/during-my-study-of-happiness-i-noticed-something-that-surprised-me-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [There is a preppy wabi-sabi to soft, faded khakis and cotton shirts, but it's not nice to be surrounded by things that are worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-is-a-preppy-wabi-sabi-to-soft-faded-khakis-and-cotton-shirts/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“There are times in the lives of most of us,” observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, “when we would have given all the world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-are-times-in-the-lives-of-most-of-us-observed-william-edward/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“I started thinking more about music. I thought I'd accepted the fact that, as part of "Being Gretchen," I didn't really like music, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-started-thinking-more-about-music-i-thought-i-d-accepted-the-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [If you've had something for more than six months, and it's still not repaired, it's clutter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/if-you-ve-had-something-for-more-than-six-months-and-it-s-still-not/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“The pleasure of doing the same thing, in the same way, every day, shouldn't be overlooked. The things I do every day take on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/the-pleasure-of-doing-the-same-thing-in-the-same-way-every-day/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/although-we-often-assume-that-feelings-inspire-actions-in-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [I love finding - or inventing - ways to categorize people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-love-finding-or-inventing-ways-to-categorize-people/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“After someone's death, how strange to see the value drain away from his or her possessions; useful objects such as clothes, or dish towels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/after-someone-s-death-how-strange-to-see-the-value-drain-away-from/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) [Explore all 346 Gretchen Rubin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More Different people quotes > [You know, it brings in a lot of different people; you take people off the street, and kids, and people from all different walks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/you-know-it-brings-in-a-lot-of-different-people-you-take-people-off/) [Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... 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