Why hugs?

More people than ever live alone today. 37 million adults age 18 and over lived alone in early 2021, up from 33 million in 2011.

Living alone sometimes means you don’t get a lot of human interaction, especially if you also work from home. It can also mean you don’t get much physical touch.

Not getting enough physical touch can cause depression, loneliness, affection deprivation, stress, and poorer health overall. Lack of touch can also lead to anxiety disorders, immune deficiency, and various types of mood disorders.

Studies have shown that during stressful times, our need for affectionate touch increases—while its benefits also increase. Hugging can bring down stress-induced blood pressure and heart rates, and there is evidence it even protects the body against viral infection.

I decided 6 months into the pandemic to practice safely hugging people because I knew I wasn’t the only one who was suffering from lack of touch. Since then, I’ve hugged many people, and those hugs have been vitally beneficial for myself and the people receiving them.

Why me?

I’ve been giving free hugs for over a decade. I do it for the mutual benefits received by myself and the person I hug.

Not everyone wants to initiate hugs with strangers, but many strangers will accept a hug if offered. And every single time I give out hugs, at least one person lets me know how much they needed and appreciated it.

I started this campaign to help me give more hugs in more places with more ease. I’ll use the proceeds for FREE HUGS appearances and other events, love-focused activism, and spreading joy with fun social experiments and merchandise.

The Hugmobile will be a playground for joy, a laboratory for connection, and a collaboratorium of fun ideas and activism.

Why should I participate?

You love being part of something positive and quirky

You want to help this serial hugger spread more joy

You want to support The Hugmobile

Like me, you think hugging strangers can heal the world

How do I participate?

Here’s how it works:

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Your hug gets listed on the website (with or without a dedication)
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I deliver your hug to a real-life person
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The history of your hug gets recorded on this website
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Your hug gets me one step closer to living my purpose of spreading more joy and hugs

Follow the project on Instagram to see hug dedications!

Digital hug purchase Supercharged digital hug

The Goal

My goal is to sell 5000 digital hugs! You can help me reach that goal by participating today!

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SOLD –

and many more to go!