How hugs and warmth rewire the brain, the surprising science behind touch, emotions, and self-awareness

A warm hug does more than lift your spirits; it literally helps your brain recognize and connect with your own body. New research reveals that the simple sensation of warmth plays a central role in emotional health, personal identity, and mental well-being, showing that temperature shapes not just comfort, but also the way we perceive ourselves.

Body temperature was long seen as merely a physical function, but a new review in ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’ challenges this view. It shows that thermoception, the ability to sense skin temperature changes like a warm hug or sudden chill, shapes how strongly people feel their bodies belong to them.

The study

According to Sciencedaily, Dr. Laura Crucianelli of Queen Mary University of London and Professor Gerardo Salvato of the University of Pavia led a review drawing on decades of neuroscience, psychology, and clinical research. Their work highlights temperature as a key factor in bodily self-awareness, revealing a crucial yet often overlooked pathway for how the body communicates with the brain.

Researchers say thermoception, linked to the body’s temperature regulation, influences not just survival and comfort but also emotions, 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."

Connection with mental health

Mental health conditions like eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and trauma can disrupt body awareness, leaving individuals feeling disconnected from themselves.

Studies on stroke, anorexia, and body integrity dysphoria suggest that impaired thermal perception often accompanies disrupted body ownership, linking temperature sensing to the brain’s recognition of the body.

Dr. Salvato said, "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."

Real-world application

According to Sciencedaily website, this research extends beyond the lab, showing that understanding thermal signals and the "skin-to-brain" dialogue could help identify mental health risk factors and inspire new sensory-based therapies. Potential applications include enhanced neurological rehabilitation, more lifelike prosthetics, and innovative sensory-based mental health treatments.

The review also highlights how climate change and extreme temperatures could impact body awareness and cognition. Drs. Crucianelli and Salvato note that rising global temperatures may influence mood, stress, and how we perceive our own bodies.

What’s special about hugs?

"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.”

Warm social touch activates temperature-sensitive pathways and C-tactile nerves, boosting body awareness, emotional regulation, oxytocin release, and social bonding.