A hug a day keeps the doctor away. Illustration courtesy of sophomore Faye Niven.

Get ready for the 1.21.2023, because National Hugging Day is coming to San Luis Obispo High School! The perfect opportunity to show affection in public to the people you like.

“I think National Hugging Day is good, hugging brings people closer together,“ said junior Emi Mizukami.

That is the exact reason why this day was invented: Adam Olis and Kevin Zambarney, two friends from Michigan invented National Hugging Day, and set it right between Christmas and Valentines day, so that people had a reason to connect and show affection during this gloomy time of year.

“I think it’s stupid, because people can hug whenever they want to during the year,“ said sophomore Daniella Alcon Cristos.

Even though that is a good point, it is officially recognized by the United States Copyright, and maybe it would be better to hug all the time during the year, because it is actually healthy to hug people. It releases dopamine, lowers blood pressure, and reduces pain and anxiety. This only occurs when the person being hugged is feeling comfortable though.

“It depends who I’m hugging, but usually it makes me feel happy and comforted,” said junior Karl Karsh.

Funny enough, that is exactly what hugs are supposed to do. The word “to hug” comes from the Old Norse word “hugga,”which means “to comfort.”

So Tigers, let’s take this opportunity to comfort each other with a hug, and have a nice National Hugging Day!

Sources: www.Berlin.de  Nationaldaycalender.com