How hugs, handshakes, and small moments of connection reset our nervous system and strengthen our health.

I’ll admit it, I’m now a hugger.

Wasn’t always that way. For years, I was more of a polite nod or awkward handshake guy. Hugs felt… risky. You know that tiny moment where you both lean in and hope you’re reading the situation right? That part. But here’s the thing: once you commit, it works `100% of the time.

These days, I hug my family, my friends, and sometimes even my coworkers (the trusty shoulder wrap side-hug is a great rapport builder). And it’s wild how something so simple can change an entire day.

I used to think hugs were just a nice gesture, a social ritual like holding the door or saying “bless you.” But over the last few years (especially since COVID) I learned something deeper: our bodies actually crave touch the way plants crave sunlight. It’s physiological. Go too long without it, and you start to wither a little.

Touch: The Body’s Oldest Form of Communication

Long before we learned to speak, we learned to touch. It’s our first language — and still our most universal one.

Every gentle touch, every handshake, every arm-around-the-shoulder moment sends a message to the nervous system: You’re safe. You’re seen. You belong.

That message travels through the vagus nerve, a massive communication highway that runs from your brainstem to your heart, lungs, and gut. When stimulated through touch, it slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and tells your entire system to relax.

At the same time, your brain releases oxytocin, the hormone of connection and calm. Oxytocin lowers cortisol, reduces inflammation, and even helps your immune system work better.

Translation: your body literally heals through touch.

The 20-Second Hug That Resets Your Nervous System

Here’s one of my favorite facts: a 20-second hug can reduce stress hormones for hours.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that couples who hugged before stressful events had significantly lower heart rates and blood pressure. And hospital studies show that touch — even from a nurse or therapist — can ease pain and speed healing.

That’s the power of the vagus nerve in action. That’s the body remembering what it was built for: connection.

When Touch Is Missing

We’ve all felt it — that ache of distance when you go too long without closeness.

Whether it’s a loved one you can’t see, or simply the quiet isolation that sneaks in when life gets busy, the absence of touch carries a price. Cortisol rises. The immune system weakens. Anxiety creeps in.

Studies show that chronic loneliness increases mortality risk as much as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Think about that — the lack of touch can literally take years off your life.

We weren’t designed for that. We’re wired for warmth, contact, community.

Learning to Reach Out Again

I’ve made it a small personal mission: to hug longer, to shake hands more often, to pat shoulders, to look people in the eye. It’s a reminder — to myself as much as anyone — that health isn’t just medical; it’s relational.

We can eat clean, exercise, and take vitamins, but without connection, something essential is missing. The body knows it. The heart knows it.

So this week, try something radical in its simplicity: give someone a real hug. Hold it for twenty seconds. Let the awkwardness fade and the calm set in. Feel your breath slow down.

That’s your vagus nerve saying, thank you.

How Benefit Airship Is Helping People Reconnect to Real Health

At Benefit Airship, we believe healthcare should care.

We built Benefit Airship to restore something that’s been missing from modern healthcare — humanity. Somewhere along the way, the system became more about billing codes than people. It became distant, complicated, and cold. We decided to change that.

Our mission is to make healthcare personal again — simple, affordable, and authentic. Every plan we offer is designed around one idea: care that feels like care.

We start by making access easy. No long waits. No hidden fees. No complicated fine print. Members can reach licensed doctors, mental health professionals, and wellness experts directly — from anywhere, often within minutes.

But affordability matters just as much. That’s why our programs start at just a few dollars a day, allowing individuals, families, and small businesses to finally get the coverage they need without sacrificing financial security. Employers can even offer benefits to every worker — full-time, part-time, or contractor — at no cost to their business.

We believe real healthcare is about more than prescriptions and procedures. It’s about compassion, connection, and trust. When people know they’re cared for — by their provider, by their employer, and by the system itself — everything changes. Stress drops. Hope returns. Healing begins.

That’s what we mean when we say Benefit Airship is creating authentic healthcare.

Because healthcare should never feel transactional. It should feel human.

The Benefit Airship Perspective

Health isn’t just about medicine. It’s about how we live, how we love, and how we stay connected to one another. Science is finally catching up to what we’ve always known — that healing happens in community.

And sometimes, it starts with something as small as a hug.

About Benefit Airship

At Benefit Airship, we believe healthcare should do more than treat illness and pay bills. True healthcare should nurture life. We’re building authentic healthcare that truly cares — affordable, accessible, and grounded in compassion.

Our mission is to reconnect people to what health was always meant to be: personal, simple, and human. Because when care feels genuine, it heals more than the body — it restores trust, hope, and community.

Discover more at BenefitAirship.com