Hugging for even 20 seconds a day can make you live longer, say the researchers at the University of North Carolina. It absolutely makes sense. Hugging releases chemicals (Oxytocin, Dopamine, and Serotonin) in the brain that make you feel happier, more valued, and help lower the heart rate and relieve stress and depression. It doesn’t even need to be interpersonal. Hugging animals has the same effect, and hugging inanimate objects does wonders for the brain too. Perhaps that’s why children hug their teddy bears, and adults hug pillows in their sleep.

Huggie Dougie, by Doug Fertig was designed with this very experience in mind. The chair comprises expandable pillows that inflate to surround you, giving you the feeling of being embraced. All you do is sit in the chair and activate the air pressure pumps, allowing the cushions around you to fill up with air. Once you’re comfortable with the ‘intensity’ of the embrace, you deactivate the pumps, allowing the cushions to deflate and you to be released from the hug! Ever thought a humble chair could help humanity battle stress, depression, and heart disease?!

Designer: Doug Fertig