Tuesday Tip: Give Out Some Hugs

Science for Joyful Kids and Happier Parents

Raising Happiness

Tuesday Tip: Give Out Some Hugs

July 26, 2011 | Tuesday Tips | 0 comments

One thing you can do today to be happier.

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Dacher Keltner’s studies show that touch is the primary language of compassion, love, and gratitude—all positive emotions. Read all about the way that hugs make us feel better in Keltner’s terrific book, Born to Be Good, and in this essay. If you’ve no one to hug at the moment, watch this “Free Hugs” video. My guess is that it will make you happier today!

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I’m Christine Carter, Ph.D, a sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. This blog is mostly science-based parenting advice: since I’m reading all the research related to raising happy children anyway, I thought we might as well make it useable to parents. My intention is to bring a scientific framing (what does the research actually say?) to our opinion-based parenting debates and advice. Sorting fact from fiction can be confusing when it comes to parenting.

This blog is also about me and my children. It represents the intersection of my brain and my heart: my intellectual training in the social sciences and my very real, sometimes raw, experiences as a mother.

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