Hugging It Out To Combat Conflict

BOSTON (CBS) - When someone is upset, are you tempted to give them a hug? Now there is science to prove that hugging can make people feel better.

Researchers interviewed more than 400 adults every night for two weeks about their conflicts, moods, and their receipt of hugs.

They found that those who received a hug on the day of conflict had smaller increases in negative emotions and the effects lasted the next day, both for men and women.

As we know, some people are not "huggers" and researchers want to learn more about when, how, and for whom hugs are the most helpful.

In the meantime, they say consensual hugs can help show support to someone under stress.