Science has tackled a vast subject: the hug. How long ? How to position the arms? These are all questions that researchers have tried to answer. According to the researchers, hugs who lasts between five and ten seconds they are the most pleasant. Don’t worry about the position of the arms, it doesn’t really seem to matter. In contrast, moments of affection for a single second did not appear to provide any real benefit.

This study was carried out by psychologists in London (United Kingdom) on 48 volunteers who performed different types of hugs. “Hugs are one of the most common types of emotional contact in everyday life. However, little is known about factors influencing hugging assessment and behavior. Here, we set out to assess how different hugs would be evaluated and whether they can affect mood, ”this study explains.

To achieve this result, all participants hugged each other for five to ten seconds, either placing their arms on one shoulder and behind or below the shoulders. Participants were blindfolded “to prevent visual feedback from influencing tactile perception.” As a result of these different experiences, the “hugs” had to indicate how the contact was “pleasant”, “exciting” and “under control”. They also indicated what state of mind they were in right after the hug and then three and six minutes after the hug.

Participants were asked about your mood immediately after each hug, then again three minutes and six minutes after the hug. They reported greater arousal immediately after the hug, compared to three minutes and six minutes after the hug. As for the placement of the arms, no matter where they were, it had no impact on the pleasure of the hug. These findings were published in Acta Psychologica.