In this period of health crisis, kissing or shaking hands has become synonymous with risk, to the chagrin of part of the population. Everyone must understand that this is one of the actions to avoid in order to limit the spread of the virus. What about the hug? Same observation, although not being able to show affection is a source of frustration.
An article published on August 5, 2020 by NewScientist reported on a survey carried out by Tiffany Field of the University of Florida (USA). According to the results, 60% of respondents reported feeling deprived of human contact during the first month of confinement. However, the researchers indicated that these people were more subject to anxiety , depression and fatigue, but also sleep problems and post-traumatic stress.
Let's quote another study prepublished on the medRxiv platform on May 20, 2020 and conducted by Molly Rosenberg of the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington. This research has led to the conclusion that hugs and other kisses are, depending on the frequency, source of benefits . Thus, people who hug often would benefit from a drop in heart rate and in the level of cortisol, the stress hormone. There is also talk of an increase in the level of oxytocin, the love hormone.
Molly Rosenberg believes that respecting barrier gestures with people who do not live under the same roof is the right thing to do. However, according to her, it would be possible to touch each other while limiting the risks . The NewScientist also gave the floor to Linsey Marr, from the Polytechnic Institute of Virginia. The person concerned evokes the notion of brevity characterizing most hugs. However, this would be the key to limiting the risk to an acceptable level.
However, it is frankly not easy to imagine a hug without risks. Linsey Marr first explains that it is absolutely necessary to prohibit contact between the two faces (kiss). It is therefore a question of taking the other person in his arms, in a fairly brief way while avoiding that the faces touch each other, each turning his own towards the outside. In addition, it also seems prudent to wash your hands after each embrace.
Despite these precautions, we still insist on the fact that hugging someone is not without risk and must not become a routine . Better to wait until the epidemic subsides before starting to kiss your loved ones again.
