{"id":55175,"date":"2025-06-10T07:24:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T07:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/can-self-hugging-help-reduce-anxiety-new-study\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T07:24:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T07:24:27","slug":"can-self-hugging-help-reduce-anxiety-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/can-self-hugging-help-reduce-anxiety-new-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Self-Hugging Help Reduce Anxiety? New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all know that a warm hug<\/strong> from a friend or loved one can lift our spirits and ease emotional distress. But what happens when no one is around? Can giving yourself a self-hug<\/strong> offer the same mental health benefits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent study published in the Journal of Nursing Practice<\/em> (2025) sheds light on this question by exploring whether self-hugging<\/strong> can actually reduce anxiety<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Simple Technique With Powerful Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Led by Indonesian researcher Yulia Susanti<\/strong>, the study involved 22 university students who were experiencing at least mild anxiety. The researchers used the DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale)<\/strong> to measure participants\u2019 anxiety levels before and after a series of self-hugging sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how the self-hug therapy<\/strong> worked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Participants sat cross-legged in a relaxed posture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • They placed their hands on opposite shoulders, forming a self-hug<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • While gently moving their arms forward and backward for 30 seconds, they repeated positive affirmations<\/strong> such as “I can do this!”<\/em>.
    <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Measurable Improvements in Anxiety<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Before the intervention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • 18.2% had moderate anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 54.5% had severe anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 27.3% were in panic<\/strong> state
      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      After three weeks of self-hugging:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • 36.4% had mild anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • 63.6% had moderate anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • No participants<\/strong> remained in severe or panic categories
        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The findings showed a statistically significant decrease in anxiety<\/strong>, suggesting that this simple self-help method<\/strong> can be highly effective in reducing stress<\/strong> and enhancing emotional well-being<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Self-Hugging as a Natural Anxiety Relief Tool<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        This research offers promising insights into the power of self-touch<\/strong> and self-compassion<\/strong> in mental health. If you’re feeling anxious before an exam, interview, or challenging event, a self-hug<\/strong> might just be what you need to calm your mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        We all know that a warm hug from a friend or loved one can lift our spirits and ease emotional distress. But what happens when no one is around? Can giving yourself a self-hug offer the same mental health benefits? A recent study published in the Journal of Nursing Practice (2025) sheds light on this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-de-presse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologydictionary.ae\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}