Health gem

If you do one thing this week. . . don't spare the hugs and kisses

GIVEN THE date, there are likely to be a few extra hugs and kisses being exchanged between romantically attached couples around the country.

That kind of warm physical contact can make you feel good and, believe it or not, a study in Japan looked at levels of proteins in the blood when couples freely kissed and hugged.

The couples became happier and less irritated after kissing and hugging, the researchers reported in Neuroendocrinology Letters in 2009. Their study also recorded increases in the intensities of serum albumin and beta2-microglobulin.

“These results suggest that psychological stress may be reduced and we may feel happiness when we kiss and hug a romantic partner,” they wrote.

“Furthermore, these results also suggest that warm partner contact influences peripheral circulating proteins and, more importantly, may promote health and wellbeing.”