Touching and hugging are beneficial even as a preventive therapy for many life-threatening illnesses. Four hugs a day are considered enough to boost a person’s emotional and physical health, but according to international relations expert Andy Stalman, the ideal number is eight six-second hugs a day. Six seconds is apparently the minimum length of time required for oxytocin—the hormone associated with happiness—to reach the brain, awakening feelings of trust and affection.
