The perfect hug lasts between five and ten seconds, scientists say

If you want to give the perfect hug, embrace your partner for somewhere between five and 10 seconds and don't worry about arm position, a new study suggests. Psychologists in London looked at how much pleasure volunteers got from engaging in hugs of different durations and orientations. Longer hugs, between five and 10 seconds, were more pleasant than very short hugs (one second), the experts found, but arm position doesn't really seem to matter. Results suggest'special care should be taken to avoid extremely brief hugs', although the researchers don't know exactly when a hug becomes too long and awkward. The new study could help design more friendly robots, which have been evaluated less positively after hugs that are'too short', they claim.