"It's wondrous what a hug can do. A hug can cheer you when you're blue. A hug can say, "I love you so," Or, "Gee, I hate to see you go."

- Hugs for Health Foundation

"One form of touch therapy that almost everyone is familiar with—hugging. Recent research found that women who often hug their partners have lower blood pressure than those who do so infrequently."

- Harvard Medical School

"A brief hug and 10 minutes of hand holding with a romantic partner greatly reduce the harmful physical effects of stress."

American Psychosomatic Society

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"Research shows touch lowers output of cortisol, a stress hormone. When cortisol dips, there's a surge of two "feel good" brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine."

- University of Miami Medical School

"Loving contact before a tough day at work "could carry over and protect you throughout the day,"

Karen Grewen
Psychologist
School of Medicine
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

"The older you are, the more fragile you are physically, so contact becomes increasingly important for good health."

Janice Kiecolt-Glaser
Psychologist
Ohio State University