When my two children were in pre-school we were introduced to a wonderful Canadian singer/song writer, Charlotte Diamond. One of Charlotte’s tunes that we all loved and often sang together was called: “Four Hugs a Day” – the chorus told us: “Four hugs a day, that’s the minimum, four hugs a day, not the maximum.”
Seems that Charlotte was on to something that is now being confirmed by scientists. In a recent study by Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon, Cohen and his colleague set out to test how stress-buffering social support actually happens. They used hugs as a measure of social support. The found that people who received hugs had a lowered risk of contracting a cold virus even among people who had higher levels of social conflict. Furthermore, people who reported being hugged and did contract the virus in Cohen’s experiment had fewer symptoms than those who got the virus and weren’t getting hugs. You can learn more about Cohen’s research in this recent report on The Pulse, a weekly radio program hosted by Philadelphia’s WHYY Behavioral Health reporter, Maiken Scott. To see and hear Charlotte Diamond performing “Four Hugs a Day” click here
Four Hugs a Day
By Earl Robinson ASCAP &
Charlotte Diamond, 1984
Nobody gets enough hugs a day
Cause the minimum number is four
Now if you haven‟t got Four Hugs today
Then you better get some more.
CHORUS
Four Hugs a day, that’s the minimum
Four Hugs a day, not the maximum. (Twice)
Step One, Look them right in the eye
Step Two, nose to nose
Step Three, reach your arms
Step Four, you can’t do any harm with...
CHORUS
Don’t forget your Mama and Papa
Your Grandma, your Grandpa
And all your friends too,
Brothers and Sisters, Aunts and Uncles
And don’t forget your teachers too.
We need...One, Two, Three and Four,
CHORUS
Don’t forget you’ve got to give Four Hugs a Day
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