Summary:
A large psychological survey of 15,049 adults in the UK, published in PLOS One, found that nearly 70% of respondents remember hugs for their comforting and supportive emotional qualities. Researchers at the University of Bristol identified several psychological traits that predict whether an embrace will leave a lasting positive memory: higher cognitive and emotional empathy, greater bodily awareness, and anxious attachment increased the likelihood of remembering hugs as meaningful, while avoidant independence and a dislike of touch reduced that emotional recall.
Key Facts:
- Lasting Emotional Salience: About 69.5% of the 15,049 participants reported recalling hugs for their positive emotional impact, describing them as moments of comfort, validation, or safety.
- Psychological Predictors: Stronger emotional and cognitive empathy, heightened body perception, and frequent greeting hugs predicted a greater likelihood of remembering hugs for their emotional value.
- Attachment and Independence: People scoring high on relationship independence (an avoidant attachment style) were less likely to retain emotionally positive memories of hugs; those with higher separation anxiety (anxious attachment) placed greater emotional value on embraces.
Source: University of Bristol / PLOS
Hugging is one of the most universal forms of nonverbal human communication. As a gentle form of social touch, embraces activate C-tactile nerve fibers, can reduce physiological stress responses, lower heart rate, and promote oxytocin release.
Despite these typical benefits, people experience interpersonal touch very differently: for some a hug is deeply comforting, while for others it may feel awkward or unwelcome. Until now, empirical evidence has been limited on which individual psychological characteristics determine whether an embrace will form a vivid, emotionally positive memory.
In research published on October 28, 2026, in PLOS One, Anna Lena Dueren and colleagues at the University of Bristol examined the traits and perceptual factors that shape autobiographical memories of social touch.
Assessing Touch Across 15,000 Individuals
To capture emotional responses to physical contact on a large scale, the team recruited 15,049 healthy adults across the UK via public broadcasting and national media. Participants completed a detailed psychometric battery assessing hugging frequency, somatic body awareness, attachment behaviors, trait empathy, and written recollections of memorable embraces.
Overall results supported the comforting role of interpersonal touch: almost seven in ten participants recalled hugs primarily for their emotional benefits—solace, validation, and safety. However, the data also revealed systematic differences tied to stable psychological characteristics.
- Empathy: Higher cognitive empathy (understanding another’s perspective) and affective empathy (sharing another’s feelings) predicted a greater likelihood of remembering hugs as emotionally meaningful.
- Body Perception: Elevated scores on standardized body-perception measures—reflecting stronger conscious integration of bodily sensations and cutaneous touch—were associated with more positive hug memories.
- Habitual Practice: Social habits mattered: those who commonly greet friends and family with embraces were more likely to retain positive memories, while people uncertain about hugging or who showed touch aversion reported fewer emotionally comforting recollections.
Attachment Styles: Seeking Connection vs. Self-Reliance
Attachment orientation emerged as a robust predictor of how hugs are remembered. Individuals high in relational independence—typical of avoidant attachment, marked by emotional self-reliance and interpersonal distance—were less likely to report hugs as emotionally rewarding.
Conversely, participants scoring higher in separation anxiety—reflecting worries about emotional distance and a desire for reassurance—consistently described hugs as salient, supportive, and emotionally grounding experiences.
The authors suggest that these differences help explain why the same physical act can be perceived very differently by different people. They recommend further work to explore how personality, earlier life experiences, and the context surrounding a hug influence its emotional meaning and whether interventions can increase the comforting value of social touch for those who find it challenging.
Methodological Context and the Science of Touch
The researchers caution that the sample was comprised of about 75% women and reflects attitudes within a Western cultural context; touch norms and interpersonal distance vary across societies. The cross-sectional design highlights correlations but does not establish causal links between personality traits and the neural consolidation of touch memories.
Nonetheless, the study connects social psychology with tactile neurobiology, showing that memories of hugs depend not only on the physical qualities of an embrace but also on individual differences in empathy, attachment, and bodily self-awareness.
Funding: MJB was supported by the ESRC [ES/R007527/1] and Leverhulme Trust [RF-2025-350]. The Touch Test was commissioned by the Wellcome Collection. AF’s work was supported by a European Research Council Consolidator Award [ERC-2018-COG-818070] and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (Consolidator grant agreement No 818070 for project METABODY). No additional external funding was received for this study.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The journal paper was reviewed in full.
- Additional context was added by our staff.
About this social neuroscience Research:
- Media Contact: Hanna Abdallah
- Source: PLOS
- Image Credit: Image credited to Neuroscience News
- Original Research (Open Access): PLOS One (Oct 1, 2026). “Why we hug: Individual differences predict emotional touch memories.” Authors: Anna Lena Dueren, Paul M. Jenkinson, Aikaterini Vafeiadou, Athanasios Koukoutsakis, Claudia Hammond, Natalie C. Bowling, Aikaterini Fotopoulou, and Michael J. Banissy.
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0359868
Abstract
Why we hug: Individual differences predict emotional touch memories
Hugging is a widespread form of social touch, but little is known about how individual differences influence the way these experiences are remembered. In a large-scale survey (N = 15,049), the researchers examined whether traits such as empathy, body perception, and attachment orientation predict the likelihood of recalling a hug for its positive emotional impact and the reasons for that memory.
Participants were recruited through promotion on public broadcasting programs and other media outlets. Overall, 69.5% of participants reported recalling a hug for its positive emotional impact. Regression analyses showed that higher empathy, increased body perception, and attachment-related anxiety were associated with a greater likelihood of such recall, while attachment-related avoidance was associated with a lower likelihood. Men were more likely than women to report physically arousing hugs as the most memorable.
These results indicate that hugs are predominantly remembered because they convey comfort, support, and understanding, and that individual differences in personality and bodily awareness shape autobiographical memories of hugging.
