Why You Should Be Hugging Long and Often

I love hugs! Everybody knows that I am a hugger. Whether you are my good friend or someone I just met, I WILL hug you. It makes me feel good to hug! Even though some people (all my radio husbands: Jon, Dave, Ryan, my husbands family, and a few more that shall go unnamed) act like they don't like my hugs, so many more people love them.

I will litterally hug annybody, I see it as my change to show people I care about them.MAccording to the Suicide Awareness/Prevention Facebook page this is hugging by the numbers.

- Number of times a person craves a hug in a day - 13

- Number of seconds an average hug lasts - 9.5

- Number of seconds for a hug to have healing properties - 20

So, hug long and often.

Time.com says that hugs are good for your health. They not only make you feel valued and important by the person hugging you, hugs can actually make you feel physically better.

...hugs make people feel like they’re cared about, that they have someone who’s there for them, but that doesn’t make any judgments,” Murphy says. And hugs might have a leg up even in this category: Research also suggests that physical touch can prompt beneficial physiological changes, such as reductions in stress-related brain and heart activity and the release of the mood-enhancing hormone oxytocin.

Still leery of hugging? Watch this!

I come from a long line of huggers. Both my parents would hug family and friends all the time. I never lacked for warm hugs. Even today, my dad still gives the best hugs. I can always count on my aunts and cousins, on both sides of my family, stretching their arms out, wrapping them around me and giving me love. I can proudly say that I have taught my kids to be awesome huggers. I even married a man who is a better hugger tahn me. Life is good.

Here are some of my favorite hugs over the years.