69 REASONS FOR HUGS AND HUGGING

Practitioners may use gestures and body language to show the parents/carers that they are always friendly and can be relied on.

Do humans think of their parents as warm and comfortable when they look at them? Harry Harlow’s experiment with infant monkeys put this idea to the test to see if humans do rely on the “importance of warm contact” (king,2017), or if it is simply the emotion of loving someone. "Many of the existing theories of love centered on the idea that the earliest attachment between a mother and child was merely a means for the child to obtain food, relieve thirst, and avoid pain” (Cherry,2017). This experiment all comes back to attachment, which is when someone or something will start developing a bonding connection with their caregiver. Harlow's experiments correlate with my past experiences whereby I formed a beneficial attachment by warmth, which is the feeling of being safe and loved.

It has been shown that babies who are held, coddled, and kissed develop a healthier emotional life than those who are left alone for long periods of time. Hugging induces oxytocin, the “bonding hormone,” that’s renowned for reducing stress, lowering cortisol levels and increasing a sense of trust and security (Suval, 2014). Touch can even have economic effects, promoting trust and generosity. When psychologist Robert Kurzban had participants play the “prisoner’s dilemma” game, in which they could choose either to cooperate or compete with a partner for a limited amount of money, an experimenter gently touched some of the participants as they were starting to play the game with just a quick pat on the back. This made a big difference. Those who were touched were much more likely to cooperate and share with their partner (Kaltner, 2010). Human touch, hugging, hand holding, and cuddling can be beneficial health wise, physically, emotionally, and even

Mothers and newborns have a physiologic need to be together during the first moment of birth. Interrupted skin-to-skin attachment between mothers and babies can be harmful and can negatively impact short and long term health outcomes and breastfeeding success. Evidence supports instant skin-to-skin care after the birth, vaginally and C-section, during and after cesarean surgery for all stable mothers and newborns will enhance limitless opportunities for care and breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin contact after delivery is golden opportunity. Many studies validate that mothers and babies should be skin-to-skin promptly after birth. Not only promotes healthier baby and successful breastfeeding outcome, it is also

While skin to skin contact promotes bonding between mother and infant, skin to skin contact is very calming for infants. When the infants are calm, and breastfeeding reflexes are well developed, they latch more quickly, which help the mothers have positive maternal feelings. Immediate skin to skin contact between a mother and infant and early initiation of breastfeeding leads to improvement of breastfeeding outcomes.

Our own National Institute of Health confirms that close contact between loved ones, hugging included, can release this treasured substance, resulting in increased affection and trust between participants. In fact, the NIH describes a study conducted by Dr. Kathleen C. Light at UNC where couples held hands for ten minutes; lab results found a correlation between a positive relationship and oxytocin levels. If mere hands could produce such compatibility, I fail to fathom the adhesive reach of hugging. However, as seen in American marriages, love can be temporary, so hugging twice a day will resolutely ensure that no ill will remains between spawn and parents, husband and baby-carrier. If there are any doubts regarding this lovely notion, I am reminded that a certain athlete from Buffalo had notoriously low amounts of oxytocin; I heard it hadn’t fared well for the spouse. Yet, I admit that ensuring the hugs are maintained requires constant inspections; luckily, it will take minimal effort to acquire the necessary workforce.

Suggests that someone who needs help will have an increased amount of empathic emotion which leads to long-term helpful behaviours.

Firstly, when a child or young person enters the room I always make sure I greet them, making eye contact, saying hello and smiling. I make sure I get down to their level and offer to give them a hug. I try to make the environment they walk into a positive one so they do not feel threatened or intimidated but more welcomed and wanted. I think this is effective as it is becomes a routine they can get used to - seeing me when they walk through the door - and will then instinctively start to say hello back and accept your offer of a hug. I also ensure I am always happy and have a chat with their parent or guardian. I think if the parent and you have a positive relationship the child will pick up on this and start react that way too. I think it’s an effective method to use as they do not see you as ‘the person that takes them away from their parent or guardian’ but instead sees you as a friend of theirs and their parent/guardian.

-Physical contact: when working with young children, adults are often rightly concerned about having any physical contact with them because of issues which surround safeguarding. However, in some situations, it’s appropriate to put an arm around a

can also hug him, kiss him, pet him or talk to him any time you need to.

Although it is sometimes perceived to be an act of illusion, happiness is a feeling of compassion and joy that can still be found in the lives of many people. We live in a world full of pain, ignorance, hate, despair, sickness, and death. To find even a ray of hope and happiness in our inconsistent lives, can be a difficult task of its own. While it may seem that one day is very focused and productive, compared to another when it may seem to be lazy and stressful. Although, our high days and low days are out of our control, we can do certain things to maximize the amount of positivity we allow in our lives. Karen Armstrong, in her “Homo Religiosus” and Barbara Fredrickson, in her “Love 2.0” offer similar ideas but different methods to achieve the satisfaction and happiness that we desire. As Armstrong develops the idea of putting compassion for others before one’s self desires and Fredrickson introduces the idea of looking at love from your body’s perspective by sharing positive emotions to create “positivity resonance”, both Armstrong and Fredrickson work towards serving a mutual goal of happiness and contentment in people’s lives.

I have always felt that the simple action of human touch is an underrated aspect of our lives. Only now, with the advances in neuroscience, we are finally able to prove the science behind why touch is so important in our lives. For the purposes of this paper, I will be focusing on the benefits of touch for infants and small children. I think that a lot of people don’t realize how important it is to have touch in our lives. I have always been interested in the ways the simplest of human contact like a hand on a shoulder or a hug can change people’s lives for the better. It is easy for those of us who have lots of physical touch in our lives to imagine that there are people out there who don’t get any

| * Trying to stay nearby their carer or parent * play peek-a-boo, copy hand clapping and pat a mirror image * put hands around a cup or bottle when feeding * understands “NO”

Parents need to make their children feel that they love children. Saying to children or expressions like an embrace can accomplish that goal. Give them

When a person continually engages in a healthy action, they are benefiting themselves, their souls, and the people around them. For example, it has been proven that smiling is contagious. According to a journal posted on Trends in Cognitive Science, smiling at someone you are walking past and having them smile back promotes happiness. When we mimic someone else’s facial expressions, it triggers the same emotion in our own brains and allows us to reciprocate a similar response. So when you are walking down the street and you smile a stranger that is walking past you, their brains want to smile in return and in order to do that, they make themselves feel happy even if they aren’t. Smiling, and therefore, happiness is contagious. If a person were to make smiling at strangers on their walk to the bus or work a habituated action, they could see an improvement of the overall mood of their society. Plus, smiling is a chain reaction. So even if you only smile at one person, that one person has a higher probability of smiling at someone else because they are now happy. Happy people are said to live better and healthier lives, and we can spread this happiness just by