- According to an article in Scientific American, a hug a day really does keep the doctor away for the general “us,” but for kids…it can be a lifesaver. Seriously!
- Studies have shown that kids from deprived surroundings – such as orphanages - have different hormone levels than children who were raised by parents.
- In one study, the stress hormone cortisol was much higher in children from orphanages. In another study, children who experienced affection deprivation at a young age still had lower levels of oxytocin and vasopressin (hormones that have been linked to emotion and social bonding) even after spending years in a family home.
- The Touch Research Institute found that teens have less anxiety, feel less hostile and parents perceive less aggressive attitudes when the teens had received a therapeutic touch – like massage.
- In the hospital, parents are encouraged to hold their newborns who are in intensive care because it has been proven to improve vital signs and it also lowers the parents’ stress levels.
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