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Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany conducted a study involving 76 people in romantic relationships with participants undergoing a stress-inducing test in which they were asked to keep one hand in ice-water for three minutes while being observed prior to the test.
Half of the couples were instructed to embrace, and the others did not embrace. The researchers measured various indicators of stress, including participants' salivary cortisol levels.
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Accordingly, the researchers reported that the women who hugged their partners had lower biological stress responses. Yet, the same effect wasn't evident in men.
The authors stated: "As a woman, hugging your romantic partner can prevent the acute stress response of your body."
"These results suggest that a brief embrace with a romantic partner might subsequently reduce the cortisol response for women facing stressful social situations such as school exams, job interviews or presentations," the study authors stated.
Looking into the future, the researchers would like to investigate whether the benefits of hugs extend to embraces with platonic friends.
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