Why warm hugs feel so good to your brain

When winter arrives, many people notice small but familiar sensations. Fingers and toes may feel icy outdoors, while cheeks can flush with warmth when stepping inside. During these shifts in temperature, awareness of the body often becomes sharper and more immediate.

For a long time, body temperature was viewed mainly as a basic physical function. A new review published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences challenges that idea by examining thermoception, the ability to sense changes in skin temperature such as a warm hug or a sudden chill. The research shows that these temperature cues influence how strongly people experience their bodies as belonging to them.

Thermoception and the Sense of Self

The review was led by Dr. Laura Crucianelli, Lecturer in Psychology at Queen Mary University of London, and Professor Gerardo Salvato of the University of Pavia. Drawing on decades of research across neuroscience, psychology, and clinical science, the authors argue that temperature deserves a central place in the science of bodily self-awareness. Their work highlights an underappreciated route through which the body communicates with the brain.

According to the researchers, the connection between thermoception and the body's temperature regulation system supports more than survival and comfort. It also plays a role in emotional experience, personal identity, and mental health.

"Temperature is one of our most ancient senses," says Dr. Crucianelli. "Warmth is one of the earliest signals of protection -- we feel it in the womb, in early caregiving, and whenever someone holds us close. It keeps us alive, but it also helps us feel like ourselves. By studying how the brain interprets warmth and cold, we can begin to understand how the body shapes the mind."

Links to Mental Health and Neurological Conditions

Changes in body awareness are common in several mental health conditions, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders. People affected by these conditions may feel disconnected from their own bodies or experience a weakened sense of self.

Clinical studies involving stroke, anorexia nervosa, and body integrity dysphoria suggest that problems with thermal perception can occur alongside disruptions in body ownership. These findings indicate that temperature sensing may be closely tied to how the brain recognizes the body as its own.

Dr. Salvato explains, "For example, we now know from experimental studies that thermal signals play a fundamental role in clinical conditions. People with altered temperature regulation and temperature perception, due to a brain stroke, may develop pathological conditions according to which they do not recognize part of their bodies as belonging to themselves."

From Research to Real World Applications

The implications of this research extend well beyond the laboratory. A clearer understanding of thermal signals and the "skin-to-brain" dialogue may help scientists identify factors that increase vulnerability to mental health challenges. It could also support the development of new sensory-based therapies.

Potential applications include improved rehabilitation strategies for neurological patients, prosthetic designs that better replicate natural sensations, and new approaches to mental health treatment that work through the senses.

The review also raises questions about how climate change and exposure to extreme temperatures could affect body awareness and thinking. Drs. Crucianelli and Salvato adds, "As global temperatures rise, understanding how warmth and cold shape the relationship with ourselves may help explain shifts in mood, stress, and bodily awareness in everyday life."

Why Warm Hugs Feel So Comforting

So why do warm hugs make people feel good about themselves?

"When we hug, the combination of tactile and thermal signals increases our sense of body ownership, so we are more connected to our embodied sense of self," says Dr. Crucianelli. "Feeling warm touch on the skin enhances our ability to sense ourselves from the inside and recognize our own existence. We feel, 'this is my body, and I am grounded in it.'"

From a scientific perspective, warm social contact activates specialised C-tactile afferents and temperature-sensitive pathways that send signals to the insular cortex. These pathways support internal body awareness linked to safety and emotional regulation. At the same time, warm touch is associated with oxytocin release and lower stress levels, which strengthen social bonds and reinforce bodily self-awareness.

As Dr. Crucianelli puts it, "Warm touch reminds us that we are connected, valued, and part of a social world. Humans are wired for social closeness, and hugs briefly dissolve the boundary between 'self' and 'other'."