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New research from Carnegie Mellon University say they have found one extraordinary way to reduce the infection from the common cold--and you'll never guess what it is.
Hugs.
That's right: those people holding signs for "Free Hugs!" are actually handing out free cold vaccines! Can you believe it?
Sheldon Cohen, a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University, asked 404 volunteers to answer a series of questions about their lives. They were asked how often they get into conflicts, how many hugs they got on an average day, etc.
"We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety," Cohen said in the release accompanying the paper, which will be published in the upcoming issue of Psychological Science.
Cohen and his team then exposed lab rats to the common cold virus and monitored them for signs of infection.
According to the release:, "The results showed that perceived social support reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing conflicts. Hugs were responsible for one-third of the protective effect of social support. Among infected participants, greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs both resulted in less severe illness symptoms whether or not they experienced conflicts."
There have been numerous studies done on the relationship between social support and improved health, but the exact mechanism behind the healing power of hugs is still not entirely clear.
This is just one study, and it has to be replicated numerous times in order for it to become scientific fact--so don't through out your cold medicine yet! This is, however, one more piece of evidence that shows social support, love, and relationships can ultimately improve health overall.
What do you think about this? Are you surprised? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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