Study: Men remember hugs better, while women find them calming

Researchers at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom surveyed more than 15,000 participants to find out how men and women remember hugs and what they feel in those moments. The findings were published in the scientific journal PLOS One.

Different feelings

Men remember hugs with people of the opposite sex considerably better than women do. The researchers link this to the fact that men feel very strong excitement, or even arousal, in such moments. In the male group, five times as many participants described a hug as a powerful stimulus as in the female group.

Among women, about one third of participants rated a hug as a calming act. Among men, fewer than one quarter reported similar emotions while hugging.

What shapes the memories

Analysis of the survey data showed that people who feel uncomfortable hugging, or who find it hard to know how to hug others, are less likely to remember a hug as a positive experience. By contrast, those who regularly greet friends and family members with a hug more often recall such moments with warm feelings.

The researchers also found that participants who were more attentive to bodily sensations and touch remembered hugs more often and attached a positive emotional meaning to them.

Conclusion

The main conclusion of the study is that hugging is a form of communication worth supporting and encouraging in society. The source also notes, however, that women may sometimes want to think twice before hugging, for example, their best friend's husband, as feelings could stir in him that would make the moment awkward for everyone involved.