At a subway station in Seoul, Korea, a drunk made a noise, arguing with police officers. Then, a man watching the scene approached the drunk and embraced him, patting his back. Soon, the drunk quickly calmed down. Those who watched this video on the Internet were impressed by the man who calmed the stranger by hugging him.
Hugging the other person with open arms may seem like a simple action, but there is an amazing power hidden in it. A hug increases the secretion of oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel psychologically stable, while cortisol, a stress hormone, decreases. Hugs thus make you feel loved and comfort the exhausted. It also relieves negative emotions such as anxiety and fear. Some studies show that apology with a hug after arguing makes you feel better than apology just with words. Particularly, little children need to be hugged often to grow well physically and emotionally.
The effect of a hug is even higher when you trust each other, not to speak of your family whom you love.