People Who Hug Daily Are Less Depressed

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Hugs make us feel better.

Sometimes when we feel down and out, a heartfelt hug from a friend can save the day. Moreover, getting a hug before a stressful situation like a job interview or an exam may make the situation feel less stressful. Thus, hugging can improve mental health after something bad has happened, but it can also have a protective effect, so we do not feel so bad if something bad is happening. Thus, anecdotal evidence from everyday life suggests that hugging frequently may be associated with better mental health. What has been missing so far, however, are large-scale scientific studies assessing whether hugs are actually linked to slower scores in questionnaires on mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

A new study on hugging, depression, and anxiety

A new study published October 25, 2025, in the Journal of Public Health now focused on the associations between hugging and depression and anxiety in a large sample from Germany (Hajek and co-workers, 2025). In the study, the scientists conducted an online survey with over 3200 volunteers aged from 18 to 74 years. A little bit more than half of the group was female, the rest was male. The volunteers filled out the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, a widely used mental health questionnaire to assess depression. They also filled out the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire to assess anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the volunteers had to indicate the average daily number of people they hugged between 0 and 99 and gave some further information about themselves, like their level of education.

What did the scientists find out?

Overall, the volunteers were classified into four different groups:

• About 25 percent of volunteers never hugged anyone
• About 38 percent of volunteers hugged one other person each day
• About 31 percent of volunteers hugged two or three other people each day
• About 6 percent of volunteers hugged four or more other people each day

Based on the findings of the questionnaires, about 28 percent of volunteers were likely to have depression, and 22 percent were likely to have anxiety.

The scientists then used advanced statistical models, including lots of other potential influence factors such as socioeconomic and health factors, to analyze the association between hugging and mental health.

The results were quite striking: Hugging other people on a daily basis was significantly associated with a lower chance of depression and anxiety. The scientists concluded that hugging regularly may be a protective factor for mental health and may be a factor that could help in preventing mental health problems.

However, it needs to be mentioned that due to the correlational nature of the study, it cannot be concluded that hugging a lot directly reduces mental health problems. It could also be the case that less depressed and anxious people just spend more time with their social contacts, resulting in more opportunities to hug. Thus, longitudinal studies and intervention studies are needed to fully understand the link between hugs and mental health.

Takeaway

The results of the study suggest that hugging may have positive effects on mental health. So the next time a loved one looks like they are in need of a hug, don’t be shy and ask them whether they like a hug—it may be just what they need.

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