How a Warm Hug Changes the Way You Feel About Yourself
December 07, 2025 | Source: The Brighter Side | by Rebecca Shavit
Skin does more than wrap your body like a protective layer. It works as a living boundary that links your inner organs to the outside world. Across nearly 20 square feet, it helps you hold heat, release it, and judge what is safe to touch. A growing body of research now shows that this same system also shapes how you feel about your own body.
A review in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences pulls together decades of work in neuroscience, psychology and medicine. The paper argues that sensing warmth and cold is not just about comfort. It is tied to emotion, identity and mental health. The review was written by Dr. Laura Crucianelli of Queen Mary University of London and Professor Gerardo Salvato of the University of Pavia.
“Temperature is one of our most ancient senses,” Crucianelli says. “Warmth is one of the earliest signals of protection. It keeps us alive, but it also helps us feel like ourselves.”
The role of thermosensory signals in human evolution and development. The upper panel illustrates how thermoregulation has been a driving force in human evolution. In the lower panel, thermosensory signals are depicted as contributors to human development. (CREDIT: Trends in Cognitive Sciences)