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25.10.2022

Under stress? Social support and hugs protect against viruses

When you're under a lot of psychological stress, your immune system has more trouble fighting viruses and other pathogens. Social support, for example in the form of hugs, counteracts the negative effect of stress. Psychologists from Carnegie Mellon University reported this in Psychological Science.

Study
The researchers asked 400 subjects aged 18-35 how much social support they received and how often they were hugged. They also used the number of Days With Tension to determine how much stress the subjects experienced due to social conflicts.

The researchers then infected the subjects with a cold virus and determined who became ill and who did not.

Results
The subjects who reported a lot of Days With Tension became ill more often if they received little Social Support. Receiving social support abolished the undermining effect of stress.

Hugs - measured as Days With Hugs - had the same effect as social support.

People who get a lot of hugs are also likely to get a lot of social support. With a little statistical juggling, the researchers were able to separate the two effects and calculate that about one third of the positive effect of social support consisted of the positive effect of hugs.

"The apparent protective effect of hugs may be attributable to the physical contact itself or to hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and intimacy", first author Sheldon Cohen sums up in a press release. [shafaqna.com 21 December 2014] [Offline]

"Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection."

Source:
Psychol Sci. 2015 Feb;26(2):135-47.

More:
Meditation prevents colds 15.12.2012
Empathetic doctors have higher cure rate 20.03.2012
Happy people catch cold less quickly 22.03.2012

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Immune System
Psychology

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