The Science of Hugging

I was driving down the A4 motorway from Madrid to Andalucía. Dry plains stretched out to the left and right, and a seemingly endless straight line in front of me, with not a single corner in sight. For a long time, only the bumps on the road and the roar of the engine could be heard. There was noise, but it felt like silence. Then I switched on the radio.

A psychologist was talking about the latest studies he had been involved in. The subject? Hugging.

He said hugging releases the love hormone oxytocin, reducing stress and lowering cortisol. This, in turn, strengthens the immune system and reduces inflammation. Four hugs a day are needed to survive, eight hugs to thrive. Science confirms: hugging is healthy.

A Porsche rushed past me. And I wondered: Why do we need science to state the obvious?

Everything is measured today. Even love. But is it really a sign of sanity if we start academising hugs? Do I need double-blind tests to confirm that embracing another human being generates feelings of bonding and security?

Science is amazing. Without it, I wouldn't have a car to drive, or a keyboard to type these words. But unfortunately, science has become a cult. An obsession. A new religion.

It's quite remarkable how the narrative of the almighty God in white has sneaked into our lives, manipulating our judgement and eroding our trust. I almost gave up on astrology because I couldn't explain it – even though the movements of the planets clearly showed me, time and time again, that something really powerful is at work. That everything is connected! But doubts crept in: If it can't be measured, I had been told by many teachers, then it can't exist. Not beauty. Not magic. Not God.

The road is laid out like rails and we are heading to a dystopian matrix ruled by machines. The only way out would be to slow down and stop. But of course, that won't happen.

It's a trap – because not all of it is bad. For example, I like ChatGPT, and I use it quite a bit. Not for actual writing, but for research and corrections. And yet I see a very dark cloud looming above us. A cloud that reminds me of the dangers of the scientific obsession. For only because everything is measured can an entity more dangerous than nuclear energy – namely Artificial Intelligence – exist.

Indeed, I'm deeply concerned: we are not ready for AI! From an astrological perspective, revolutionary and progressive Uranus will be supporting the intense transformational energy of Pluto for the next four years. In other words: we're probably in for quite a ride – and most of us don't have a safety belt.

In the meantime, as we race into a cyber world, perhaps it's worth remembering that hugging doesn't need to be tested in a lab. It doesn't even need to be explained. It wants to be felt and experienced. No words are needed to describe its power and wonder.

I switched off the radio. The road was as empty as the surrounding land. Silent noise and nothingness. The day we lose the capacity to simply sit with a deep feeling, I thought, that day will be the end. Not the end of science or the end of hugging – but the end of the human soul.