Why hugs feel good: Scientists find brain circuit for 'pleasant touch'

Hugging, holding hands and caressing give us a psychological boost that is known to be important for emotional well-being and healthy development.

But until now, it has been unclear why we derive pleasure from this kind of touching.

Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a neural circuit that transmits the sensation known as 'pleasant touch' from the skin to the brain.

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