If you need further inspiration, or if you're mind is conditioned to weigh the pros and the cons, and you simply can't resist - this is for you:

Cost Benefits
A hug costs nothing.
  1. "We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth" - Virginia Satir, family therapist
  2. "A hug is a handshake of the heart." ~Author Unknown
  3. "Being hugged is being connected" - Roxane Ann Lukas, Philosopher
  4. "You can't give a hug without getting a hug." ~Author Unknown
  5. "Hugging helps the body’s immune system" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  6. "young kids need social interaction, and a most important part of that interaction is touch. They need to be cuddled." - Of Hugs and Hormones, William J. Cromie
  7. "Hugging reduces stress" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  8. "A hug is a handshake of the hearts" - Ilan Mandel, Creator, HugsForFree.org
  9. "My favorite place to be is inside of your hugs where it's warm and loving." - Source Unknown
  10. "My daughter is now seventeen months old. One of the words she now understands is hug. I've noticed in the past few days how completely alive I feel when she is hugging me, regardless of what was on my mind, positive or troubling, prior to the hug. Her hug changes my world." - Hugging For Health, Kevin Eikenberry
  11. "The study showed hugs increased levels of oxytocin, a "bonding" hormone, and reduced blood pressure - which cuts the risk of heart disease." - www.bbc.co.uk
  12. "When you're hugging someone you love, never be the first to let go." - Source Unknown
  13. "I will not play Tug O' War,
    I'd rather play Hug O' War;
    Where everyone hugs, instead of tugs,
    And everyone giggles and rolls on the rug.
    Where everyone kisses,
    and everyone grins;
    everyone cuddles,
    and everyone wins".
    - Shel Silverstein
  14. "Giving a hug - you can get lost in yourself and in someone else at the same time" - Roxane Ann Lukas, Creative Writer
  15. "Hugging is a way of connecting with others, of showing your genuine affection and appreciation, of valuing others, and of giving. All of these are positive, healthy, life enhancing purposes. " - Hugging For Health, Kevin Eikenberry
  16. "Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism." ~Leo Buscaglia
  17. "The beauty of a hug is in its simplicity." - The Power in a Hug
  18. "You can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug." ~Author Unknown
  19. "Hugging has been proven to have health benefits. One study has shown that hugs increase levels of oxytocin, and reduce blood pressure" - Wikipedia
  20. "Wikipedia is about as good a source of accurate information as Britannica, the venerable standard-bearer of facts about the world around us, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature." - CNET News,  Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica, By Daniel Terdiman
  21. "Hugging cures depression" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole n
  22. "Hugs are therapy, you know. And this very morning it was all proven to me." - Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  23. "new studies show that children who get some SUSTAINED form of touching, such as a LONG HUG EVERYDAY are SMARTER. "The more physical contact a little one gets, the more the brain cells are stimulated, creating stronger, faster brain synapses and boosting IQ." - Jay Gordon, M.D., co-author of Brighter Baby,
  24. "Hug is strength and surrender at the same time" - Roxane Ann Lukas, A Princess
  25. “This yellow paper clip that you see in my hand represents a hug that I am sending to you. You can carry this paper clip in a pocket or anywhere, and whenever you feel down, you can just touch and hold it and know that somebody cares about you, and would give you a hug if she were there.” - Georgia
  26. "Hugging induces sleep" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  27. "Hugs, hand-shakes, even a good intentioned touch transfers useful energy to boost the immune mechanism of the body." - Source Unknown
  28. "Hugs are as vital to the health and development of infants as food and water, according to decades of research by a Harvard scientist." - Of Hugs and Hormones, William J. Cromie
  29. ""He/She is a great hugger" is often a compliment to a person who really makes you feel accepted, and at ease. " - Hugging and Breathing, Mike White
  30. "Ask yourself whose day could I improve by giving them one or more hugs today." - Hugging For Health, Kevin Eikenberry
  31. "Hugging keeps you healthier" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  32. "We establish human contact and interaction with a hug." - The Power in a Hug
  33. "The world would be a better place if we smiled more often and hugged a bit longer." - Source Unknown
  34. "Quick..., put your left hand on your right shoulder, put your right hand on your left shoulder, now squeeze! That was a quick hug from me!" - Source Unknown
  35. "Everytime I think of you, it is like getting a hug from the inside out." - Source Unknown
  36. Hugging accomplishes many things that you may never have thought of:
    - feels good
    - dispels loneliness
    - overcomes fear
    - opens doors to feelings
    - builds self-esteem (WOW, SHE actually wants to hug me!)
    - fosters altruism (I can’t believe it but I actually want to hug that old son-of-a-gun)
    - slows down aging (huggers stay young longer)
    - helps curb appetite (we eat less when we are nourished by hugs and when our arms are busy wrapped around others)
    - More Good Things from Hugging
    - eases tension
    - fights insomnia
    - keeps arms and shoulder muscles in condition
    - provides stretching exercise if you are short
    - provides stooping exercise if you are tall
    - offers a wholesome alternative to promiscuity
    - offers a healthy, safe alternative to alcohol and other drug abuse (better hugs than drugs!)
    - affirms physical being
    - is democratic (anyone is eligible for a hug)
  37. "Arm ourselves for war? No! All the arms we need are for hugging." ~Author Unknown
  38. "At times, a hug can speak more than any words can say." - The Power in a Hug
  39. "The more hugs you give or recieve, the happier you are and the longer you live!" - Source Unknown
  40. Even More Benefits from Hugging:
    - is ecologically sound (it does not upset the environment)
    - is energy-efficient (saves heat)
    - is portable
    - requires no special equipment
    - demands no special setting (a fine place for a hug is any place from a doorstep to an executive conference room … from a church parlor to a football field)
    - makes happy days happier
    - imparts feelings of belonging
    - fills up empty places in our lives
    - keeps on working to dispense benefits even after the hug is released
  41. "Hug as if Now were all there is." - Ilan Mandel, Creator, HugsForFree.org
  42. "A hug is the shortest distance between friends." ~Author Unknown
  43. "A Hug is one of the most basic ways two human beings touch. There is power in a hug." - The Power in a Hug
  44. "Hugging is healthy." -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  45. "Being held in your arms for only a few seconds takes all the pain of the world away from me." - Source Unknown
  46. "A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange." ~Author Unknown
  47. "We bond with a hug." - The Power in a Hug
  48. "Hold me in your arms so I know what it feels like to fly." - Vanessa Lang
  49. "There is nothing that feels as good as you wrapped inside my arms." - Source Unknown
  50. "I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time." ~Drew Barrymore
  51. "A hug delights and warms and charms, that must be why God gave us arms." ~Author Unknown
  52. "Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you." ~Jacques Prévert
  53. "A hug stimulates a deeper parasympathetic nervous relaxation response and you experience a sense of calm, ease or pleasurable excitement." - Secrets of Optimal Natural Breathing
  54. "because they clearly feed the soul " - FitSpirit: Hugs as health food, Jacki Donaldson
  55. "We find comfort with a hug." - The Power in a Hug
  56. "Hugging is invigorating" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  57. "You can't hug your kids with nuclear arms" - Source Unknown
  58. "A hug can break down barriers that sometimes words cannot do." - The Power in a Hug
  59. "It doesn't matter who, when, or where... you can always use a hug." - from the movie, "Hope Floats"
  60. "The gesture towards another human being, known or unknown, is easy. It costs nothing but a simple act of caring and kindness." - The Power in a Hug
  61. "A hug overcomes all boundaries. It speaks words within the mind that cannot be spoken." - Source Unknown
  62. "A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away. ~Bil Keane, "Family Circus"
  63. "Hugging is rejuvenating" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  64. "Hugs grease the wheels of the world." ~Author Unknown
  65. "There's nothing like a mama-hug." ~Adabella Radici
  66. "Hugging has no unpleasant side effects" -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  67. "A hug is worth a thousand words." ~Author Unknown
  68. ""Your hugs and kisses are like the stars that light up my life when things get dark." - Source Unknown
  69. "A kiss without a hug is like a flower without the fragrance." ~Proverb
  70. "We greet and separate from each other with a hug." - The Power in a Hug
  71. ""Hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, is fully returnable. Hugging is practically perfect. No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof and nontaxable." - Source Unknown
  72. "Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug." -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  73. "Hugging is all natural." -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  74. "Hugs are great, but when they are from the people you care most about, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside!" - Source Unknown
  75. "Never wait until tomorrow to hug someone you could hug today, because when you give one, you get one right back your way." ~Author Unknown
  76. "If you're angry at a loved one, hug that person. And mean it. You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so. It's hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that's precisely what happens when we hug each other." ~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997
  77. "Hugging is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients and 100 percent wholesome." -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  78. Hugging is practically perfect. There are no movable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, inflation proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, theft-proof, nontaxable, nonpolluting and, of course, fully returnable." -  Hugs Are A Girl’s Best Friend, Carole
  79. "A hug is two hearts wrapped in arms." ~Author Unknown
  80. "There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!" - Source Unknown

and on... and on... and on...

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