If you're single this Valentine's Day, consider taking a trip to Oregon on Saturday for a day of snuggling with other lonely strangers at the world's first Cuddle Con.
The event, created by businesswoman and professional "cuddler" Samantha Hess, invites people who may be feeling down and in need of a little affection to cuddle with each other in a nonsexual and safe environment, CNN reported.
Hess said with Cuddle Con, to take place in Portland, she hopes to change society's perception of what it means to be touched.
"In our culture, cuddling is connected with romantic relationships. Platonic touch is such a taboo thing," Hess, who founded her own business Cuddle Me Up, told CNN.
"There are a lot of moms who give a lot of touch, but they never really take. So they come into (my business) and get touch from me," Hess said.
Studies show that cuddling after sex can boost satisfaction in romantic relationships. Research shows cuddling is beneficial for platonic relationships, too.
"It wasn't always a sexual thing," Amy Muise, a University of Toronto postdoctoral fellow who co-authored a study on cuddling after sex, told CNN. "People have a need to belong and connect to others and affection is one way we may do this."
Muise noted that people may feel more comfortable about cuddling in a setting like Hess' Cuddle Con because there are less chances of rejection.
Those who've tried platonic cuddling describe it as a rush of euphoria.
"After I see [Hess], I am pretty high for a couple of days," 47-year-old Kimberly Jensen, who tried Hess' Cuddle Me Up a year ago when she was feeling depressed and lonely. "I am seriously addicted to it."
Jensen told CNN that she's spent most of her life single on Valentine's Day. But this year she's headed to Cuddle Con for hugs, snuggling and healing affection.
"I hated Valentine's Day, and now I am looking forward to it," Jensen said. "I am hoping to cuddle non-stop."
