 Hello, Psych2Goers! Welcome back to our channel! When's the last time you hugged someone? Whether you realized or not, that good hug or cuddle probably came with some great benefits, besides just making you happy. So, what are those benefits? Here are six things cuddling dust to you. Number one, it helps reduce stress. Had a stressful day? Go hug someone. Give your sibling or best friend a good ol' hug, and you may just feel a bit better. Why? When we hug or cuddle someone, the hormone oxytocin is released. Oxytocin can help lower levels of anxiety and stress, making us feel a bit better in the process. According to statistics, only a small percentage of you who watch our videos are actually subscribed. If you're not subscribed yet, and you enjoy what you see, do consider hitting the subscribe button. This encourages YouTube's algorithm in promoting more of our mental health content to more people out there. Two, it can help your immune system. While you may not want to hug someone while you're sick, you could always hug the people you love in your life often to help boost your immune system. As mentioned before, hugging someone can reduce our stress levels, making us feel happy. Feeling loved and safe, which often happens from sweet hugs, can help our immune system. Stress, depression, and anxiety can take a toll on our immune system. Having a weak immune system can mean you're more prone to getting an infection, so go cuddle with a loved one every now and then. Your immune system will thank you later. Number three, it relieves pain. Need a bit of pain relief? Oxytocin really has some benefits. Hugging once again releases oxytocin. Holding someone's hand can make you feel a bit better, so if you really need some pain relief, try cuddling. Cuddling is sure to release a lot of oxytocin, enough to even relieve pain, if not simply distract you from some. Four, may help lower the risk of heart disease. Catherine A. Connors, a holistic therapist and stress management coach, explains in an article from Shape that hugging, kissing, or more physical acts of touching increases oxytocin levels, which is a bonding hormone. This chemical reaction can help to reduce blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease, but it can also help to reduce stress and anxiety. If your heart has less stress, it may not work as hard. When we're stressed, our body releases adrenaline, which means a higher blood pressure and heart rate. A lot of this can increase one's risk of a heart attack. So when you have time, take a deep breath and ask your loved one for a hug. Number five, improves a mother's bond with a child. Here we go with oxytocin again. This hormone has some magical effects. When a mother cuddles their newborn child, they receive a boost of oxytocin. Due to this, she will not only feel happier, but her stress and anxiety levels will drop as we learned before. Skin to skin contact with mother's baby after they're born can help them bond and keep both mother and child calm and happy. And number six, can help reduce social anxiety. Do you struggle with social anxiety? Well, it's time for some hugs. Maybe not the first thing you want to do when at a party with a group of strangers, but if you have a friend who loves to greet people with a good old hug, then you may just have an easier time socializing. Not only can oxytocin make you feel happy, but your thoughts will be helpful, positive and helpful. This means if your friend hugs you when they see you at a party, and as we know hugging helps release oxytocin, you may just get a positive boost in your confidence and view of the event. Suddenly this social gathering doesn't seem to intimidate you as much. Maybe your stress levels have decreased, even if it's just for a moment, which sparks a bit of confidence in you. So right before you start the party, hug a friend or two and you greet them. You may just feel a bit more confident and happy. So will you hug others more often? Who will be your cuddle buddy? Share with us in the comments below. We hope you enjoyed this video and if you did, don't forget to click the like button and share it with a friend. Subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell icon for more content like this. And as always, thanks for watching.