The surprising way a 22 second hug can change your life

By Alexia Zilan Fan

Why does hugging feel so good?

It might be because we receive a cocktail of nature’s best flooding our system.

Yes that’s right, we get a natural high when we hug. 

Hugging releases “happy hormones” dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which lead to feeling joy, confidence, empathy, calmness, bonding, and connection. 

These are essential for our mental and emotional health. 

Research has shown that hugging also improves our physical health. Hugs are good for our immune systems and heart health. They also help our nervous system have a better parasympathetic balance – or be in rest, digest and heal mode. 

One study reports that a long hug of more than 20 seconds is the sweet spot for experiencing these cuddly benefits. 

Long hugs also give us the opportunity to let go, drop any barriers, fears, and masks we normally put up to interact with society. It allows us to be vulnerable, present in the moment, and deeply connect with the person we hug. You may even feel the energy shift within you a few seconds into the hug.

So on 22.02.2022 we invite you to hug for 22 seconds to celebrate life and love.

Hug a loved one, or someone you’re in close contact with. Create a beautiful moment with them. 

And pass the message along to share the love. 

See our website for more information: sharingearthlove.com  

Why are we sharing this? 

It’s nice to share love, and there are a few more reasons. Keep reading to find out.

Hugging as a tool for life 

With all the benefits that come from hugging, especially a long 20-second-plus hug, it’s a great tool to have in our toolbox for navigating life. 

When we are feeling down, stressed, anxious, a long hug is a quick fix to reset our state of mind and how we are feeling. When we get ourselves in a better mental and emotional state, we can also think better and make better decisions. 

Here are some examples: 

  • Want to relax yourself? Or let down the barriers we put up to interact with society? Try a long hug, you may also feel the energy shift when you let go and just ‘be’. It can be very healing. 
  • Are you and your partner having a disagreement? Try a long hug to pause and reset. Remember the feeling of love and connection you have with each other. Find compassion and speak and act from a better place. It may even save you from saying potentially impulsive things you’d regret.
  • Feeling like a super quick meditation? Generate presence and peace from a 20s hug. Some people may even experience profound states of unity with the universe and themselves.
  • The uncertainty of these times getting to you? Try a long hug. It is very comforting, and can help you feel safe and grounded. It’s not going to solve everything, but it will sure help you feel better on your journey. 

Our lives are a string of what we think feel and do. How we feel affects everything. Doing things that help us feel positive and give us joy, such as a long hug, will help us think, do and live better. If you have heard of the law of attraction, how we think and feel creates our reality, so actively raise your state to be in love, joy and gratitude. And a long hug helps do the trick.

Energy 

Everything is energy.

When we share positive energy, we create more of it! Sharing positive energy lifts people up and gives ourselves and others energy.

For example, you may smile at a person on the street and also feel positive for smiling yourself, or both you and a close friend could feel energised after a great conversation.

When we show up and give positive energy out to those around us, even to people we don’t know, we may brighten their days up. You never know the impact of your smile or your nice comment on a person and the ripple effects it could create for them and their lives.

We want to share the 22 second hug on the 22.02.2022 with you to brighten your day and share more love and healing in your life.  

20s+ hugs release negative energy, such as tension, stress, and the energy we use to put on appearances and fit into society. Simultaneously, it creates positive energy, such as safety, connection, grounding, love and joy. 

You sharing the 22 second hug with others shares with them loving and positive energy. And we can all share a bit more love and positivity these days.

We know it will have positive ripple effects. Whether it is by you passing this on and creating a string of beautiful moments in people’s lives, or opening up conversations around connection, healing and mental health.  

There has never been a better time to share love!

We are the dust particles of the big bang starting to be aware of the explosion. 

The scale of time and the amount of evolution it has taken to get to this point of time, to be us, is literally incomprehensible to our brains. 

We have evolved millions of years from stardust to the first spark of life on earth, to the complex and wonderful humans and other diverse life forms that we have on Earth today.

It took millions of years for our arms to develop from our common ancestor of a single-celled organism. And what’s amazing is that we have universally evolved to be able to give hugs and share love. 

It’s an exciting time to be alive, where we are conscious that we are all one earth, we’ve developed a vast amount of technology and tools to improve our quality of life. And today sharing love can be as easy as a click of a ‘share’ button, which zaps over the internet to reach our friends across the world. 

Symbolism 

Finally, 22.02.2022, what a date! Just like every other day, it’s not going to happen again. But the numbers of this date form a palindrome, meaning they are reflected forward and backwards. 

Two 2s reflected create a love heart, a universal sign of love, making 22.02.2022 a great day to celebrate and share love. 

Also 2 is a power number. It symbolizes harmony, faith, love, and connection. Within the number 2 is the union and balance of the feminine curve and the masculine straight line.

And… typically it takes 2 to hug. ☺ 

Celebrating life and love!

sharingearthlove.com

Sources [[Optional to include]]

Grewen K.M. et al, ‘Warm partner contact is related to lower cardiovascular reactivity’
Grewen KM, et al, ‘Effects of partner support on resting oxytocin, cortisol, norepinephrine, and blood pressure before and after warm partner contact’
Cohen S et al, ‘Does Hugging Provide Stress-Buffering Social Support? A Study of Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection and Illness’
Murphy M et al, ‘Receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative mood that occurs on days with interpersonal conflict’
Light K.C. et al, ’More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women’
Greater Good Berkley, ‘Four Ways Hugs Are Good for Your Health’
Greater Good Berkley, ‘Why Physical Touch Matters for Your Well-Being’
Scientific American, ‘A Hug a Day Keeps the Doctor Away’
TIME, ‘Science Says You Should Embrace Hugging’
The Times, ‘Hugging for 20 seconds a day may reduce your stress’