As winter closes in, you might start to notice your fingers and toes freezing when you go outside, or your face flushing hot when you go into a heated building. In these moments of changing temperature, we become more aware of our bodies.

Until now, bodily temperature has been seen as a purely physiological signal. But a new review published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences looks at how "thermoception"—our perception of changes in skin temperature, such as a warm hug or a chill in the air—influences how strongly we experience our bodies as "our own."

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So why do warm hugs make us feel good about ourselves?

"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 a 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."

Scientifically put, warm interpersonal contact engages specialized C-tactile afferents and thermosensitive pathways that project to the insular cortex, facilitating interoceptive signaling associated with safety and affective regulation. This sensory input is accompanied by oxytocin release and reductions in physiological stress, supporting social bonding and enhancing bodily self-awareness, and ultimately, well-being.

In other words, "Warm touch reminds us that we are connected, valued, and part of a social world," says Dr. Crucianelli. "Humans are wired for social closeness, and hugs briefly dissolve the boundary between 'self' and 'other.'"