beauty

There's now a "Tinder" for people who just want someone to cuddle.

Image: iStock. 

Have you ever had one of those days when all you want is a good old fashioned hug from another human? Well, if you’re short on people to embrace, this news will be welcome to you.

A growing number of websites are offering a sort of cross between “OK Cupid” and “Tinder” for those of us wanting to seek out a fellow cuddler in our local area. It’s simple: you meet up, you cuddle. The end.

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Cuddle Comfort and Cuddle.fish are just two popular sites that enable users to create an online profile which describes not only themselves, but also what they seek in a hug buddy.

 

It's pretty much a tick a box situation with preferences related to gender, ethnicity, distance and marital status all accounted for in the profile information. The aim is to find your 'perfect match' for cuddle-only activities.

Related: Kylie and Kendall Jenner’s greatest fear is slightly ridiculous.

If that all sounds a bit formal, reddit forum group r/cuddlebuddies serves the same purpose, just without the need to set up a profile. While it may seem a little strange to some of us, 4, 300 current contributors on the forum would disagree.

"Not what I expected when she said 'come over to my place for a cuddle" Image: stock
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Yes, it might seem like a lot of effort to go to to score an embrace with a random (and we're sure there are some creepy people lurking on there - as with any "hook up"-type website), but there's a reason people are so into hugging.

 

Related: Farting, sweating, enormous nipples: The 5 pregnancy symptoms nobody ever warns you about.

Hugging releases the hormone oxytocin which makes us feel happy and warm and fuzzy inside. (Post continues after gallery.)

"Oxytocin is a neuropeptide, which basically promotes feelings of devotion, trust and bonding," DePauw University psychologist Matt Hertenstein told NPR.

"It really lays the biological foundation and structure for connecting to other people." (Post continues after gallery.)

Related:There’s a new app that’s like Tinder for your wardrobe. We tested it.

Is a cuddle buddy something that you'd sign up for?