"We didn’t hug today did we?"

Jennifer Vanderau
Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter

(5/2019) I saw a fascinating article on Facebook a few months ago about hugging and I wanted to share.

There have apparently been studies on the benefits of hugging. When people hug, particularly for an extended period of time with someone they trust, the pituitary gland releases oxytocin, which is responsible for feelings of love and care and safety and comfort.

If everyone would hug for 20-seconds a day with a special someone, the theory is this would be a different world.

Blood pressures would lower. Stress hormones like cortisol would be reduced. There would be a pretty significant impact on the general sense of well-being.

Interestingly enough, this may not be true for everyone as evidenced by the rebuttal I read from a fellow who deemed a 20-second hug was 17 seconds too long and the mere thought of it heaped massive amounts of undue stress on his psyche.

So, apparently, this experience may not be the same for everyone. I stand corrected, Mr. Snarky Facebook man.

In all sincerity, though, and to be fair, there are folks who aren’t into hugging and that’s cool. There are plenty of other ways to de-stress and reduce cortisol.

But, if you are a hugger and get that good-feeling after sharing a hug or a snuggle with a loved-one, the 20-second hug could be just the thing for you.

From a Chinese medicine standpoint, (if I may sneak into Renee Lehman’s territory for a brief moment and discuss some of what I’ve learned from her) the heart is considered the empress or emperor of our bodies and it should be protected at all costs because love is the purest of sensation for all of us and ultimately what existence is all about. When you let someone close enough – chest to chest with each other’s hearts – it’s a serious energetic exchange, not to be taken lightly.

And the body reacts as such.

Now, the part of all of this that wholeheartedly appealed to the cat-lady in me, was when the article mentioned that all of this can also be achieved if you snuggle for 20 seconds with an animal.

Our pets are quite similar to us in numerous ways and making the connection through touch is definitely one of them. I’ve seen many scared, unsure animals at the shelter react to a soft, caring touch. It really can communicate so much.

Each morning when I wake up, Grayson, one of my newest cats searches me out – usually in the bathroom – and demands attention.

I scoop him up and hold him, quite literally like a baby, against my chest and he purrs and purrs. He will actually tuck his head in under my neck and close his eyes and truly, if I don’t move we could probably be there the whole day.

It’s definitely longer than a 20-second hug.

It’s funny, but I find I like starting my day like that. On the occasion I’m in a hurry and our morning hug doesn’t happen, I kind of feel like I missed something. Usually in the evening he’ll come around and meow and rub against my legs and I’ll tell him, "We didn’t hug today did we?" And we commence with the snuggles.

On the mornings when I don’t have to go to work, he will stomp his way onto the bed, shove his head under my chin and immediately begin purring and kneading. It’s possible he might be working this into his daily routine as well.

It turns out, there could be a physical, scientific reason these moments mean so much.

We’ve had dogs at the shelter who would snuggle every moment of the day with us. There are the ones we affectionately call "the leaners." They have to be touching you in some way, shape or form and will often simply lean against you for the contact.

We have a sweet, 4-year-old Shih Tzu mix who came into us in rough shape. When we got him shaved down, we discovered he was basically blind. This little guy is so dear. He doesn’t seem to startle much at all for not being able to see and he will give kisses. The most important thing for him, though, is touch. He needs to have that contact to ground him. He’s such a sweetheart.

He’s definitely living proof of how important touch can be.

And here’s the thing. It’s mutually beneficial. It helps us and it helps our pets. The love between a human and an animal in my opinion is some of the purest on the planet. Truly unconditional. As a result, any moment of touch or hugging would be an energetic convergence of good will and wonderful feeling that I bet would top just about any chart.

So if you’re looking to benefit from the 20-second hug phenomenon, how about taking a moment without any kind of interruption and searching out your four-legged friend?

It might be just that extra boost of oxytocin you need more than you even know.

*****

Jennifer Vanderau is the Director of Communications for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg, Pa., and can be reached at cvasoc@innernet.net. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at (717) 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org.