Free hugs

I remember once when I was a child and my aunt told me that she had read somewhere that people should hug 8 times a day. In doing so, our bodies liberate a chemical substance that will make you feel happy. From that day on I became a hugger, I’m always hugging my loved ones (well, when they are at a hugging distance).

When I was a teenager I heard about the Free Hugs Campaign. I’m not the kind of person that will go around hugging people that I don’t know but I still thought it was a nice initiative. The fact that the campaign became successful shows the lack of affection that people have nowadays.

Juan Mann, the instigator of the campaign, tells the story of his first hug on the website. He waited for 15 minutes for his first free hug and it was given to a very deserving lady whose dog had died that morning, the morning that marked the anniversary of the day on which, one year before, her daughter had died in a car accident. After the hug the lady had a smile at her face. Nothing changed, her dog or her daughter cannot be brought back to life, but a hug can help the pain go away by letting care and love in.