Stranger hug heals loneliness

A HUG from a stranger is enough to ease the pain of loneliness, a study suggests.

Psychologists had 84 women take part in a group game, which they were then excluded from following a break.

The women were blindfolded and their arms were touched either slowly or quickly. Questionnaires revealed those touched slowly had reduced feelings of negativity and social exclusion.

Lead author Mariana von Mohr, of University College London, wrote in journal Scientific Reports: “As our social world is becoming increasingly visual and digital, it’s easy to forget the power of touch in human relations.”