If you want to improve your mood and mental wellbeing, boosting your oxytocin levels is a good place to start. 

Often referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone’, oxytocin not only plays a vital role in the childbirth process and facilitates mother-baby bonding, but its presence has been shown to decrease levels of stress and anxiety and foster feelings of trust, connection and overall wellbeing.

As its nickname suggests, one of the primary ways of boosting oxytocin is through physical touch. That includes sexual experiences – both with a partner and on your own – but there are plenty of non-sex-based activities that will give your oxytocin levels a helping hand. 

If you’ve ever felt warm and fuzzy after a hug or felt a shift in your mood after a back rub from your partner, for example, then you’ll have oxytocin to thank.

But what if you’re not much of a hugger or don’t have a partner or family to hug on demand? As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to boost your oxytocin levels that don’t require physical touch that you can turn to when you need a boost. Below, we’ve rounded up just a few of the best.  

You don’t need to rely on the touch of others to boost your oxytocin levels – practising self-massage, even for a short amount of time, can help to deliver a healthy dose of the stuff.

“When we practise physical touch, we activate nerve endings that send a signal to both our nervous and endocrine [hormone-releasing] systems,” explains Beata Aleksandrowicz, a massage expert.

“That is why touch is so therapeutic. We often see touch as something we receive from others, but massage and self-massage is such a great way of providing ourselves with not only all the goodness that touch brings to our body but also to our mind and emotions.”

Facial massage – using tools like a jade roller or gua sha – is a great place to start if you’ve never tried self-massage before, but there are plenty of tips out there to help you get started. 

Thinking about the things you’re thankful for may not feel particularly groundbreaking, but research has shown spending time practising gratitude can make a tangible difference to your oxytocin levels.

That might include saying thank you to the people around you or writing down a list of the things you’re thankful for each day. If you want to take things one step further, embracing the Scandi tradition of hygge – a lifestyle centred around gratitude and relaxation – is another great idea.

“From witnessing a beautiful morning sky, reading a great chapter in a book or eating a delicious meal, every day is filled with reasons to feel grateful,” says Catharina Bjorkman, a Scandi lifestyle expert at Contura. 

“Whether you think of five things when you wake up each morning or write a line or two in a journal before you head to sleep, this simple yet effective exercise will help you to take a moment to pause, reflect on and appreciate the many things that bring you joy each day.” 

Singing can offer a whole host of benefits, from relieving tension to boosting your mood. But singing alongside other people will also give your oxytocin levels a workout, explains Jasmine Eskenzi, CEO and founder of the wellbeing and productivity app The Zensory.

“Singing triggers the release of oxytocin, providing us with a powerful, affordable, accessible and non-invasive solution to pain, anxiety and compromised wellbeing,” she says.

“Studies have also shown that singing can have immediate positive effects such as providing a boost in emotional state and a reduction in levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.”

If you can’t join a choir or find friends who want to have a sing-along, simply listening to music could lift your oxytocin levels. You’ll need to opt for slow music, though; a 2017 study found that listening to slow relaxing music was associated with a rise in salivary oxytocin levels, whereas fast music had little impact. 

If you ever needed an excuse to have a warm bath or shower, then this is it. The benefits of having a cold shower may be extensive, but if you want to boost your oxytocin, then heat is the way to go; research has shown that the warm temperature activates the same nerve endings as physical touch, stimulating the release of the hormone oxytocin.

There are additional benefits to reap, too, says holistic therapist and SBC skincare educator Adele O’Donoghue. “Having a hot bath or shower has long been known as a great way to boost and elevate your mood,” she says. “Having a bath can help us to feel calm, providing clarity and helping us to de-stress and wind down from the day.”

Having a hot bath before bed can also aid sleep – which will have a positive impact on your wellbeing in both the short and long term.  

Images: Getty