A group of children in Maryland knew exactly what to do recently for a classmate worried about his twin brother.
Video shows a boy, whose name is Ethan, walking into his Rockville school when several of his friends ran toward him, WSAZ reported November 3.
First, two little girls ran up and threw their arms around him then a little boy joined the group. Moments later, two other boys took part in the touching embrace:
In the background, it appeared their teachers were in the middle of reading a book aloud to the children when the scene unfolded.
When one of the adults saw what was happening, she said, “Aw!” as the children giggled with delight.
“That first girl really felt for him. Such a sweet hug,” one social media user wrote in the comment section, while another said, “Pure hearts. So much love and compassion at this age.”
“Omg stop. This is literally the sweetest,” another user replied.
Ethan and his twin brother, whose name is Bennett, reportedly share a rare genetic disease. Bennett has been recovering from pneumonia at the hospital for several weeks but hoped to return home next month, the WSAZ article said.
There is evidence that hugs can benefit a person’s health and well-being, according to the Cleveland Clinic’s website.
“The health benefits of giving and receiving hugs are quite impressive. Hugs have a therapeutic effect on people,” according to psychologist Joe Rock, PsyD.
“Research shows that hugs can be healthy,” he continued, adding, “Hugs cause a decrease in the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, and other research indicates that hugs decrease your blood pressure and heart rate in stressful situations.”
Dr. Rock also noted that hugging another person connects us and aids in releasing defenses we may have.
The touching video’s caption described the children as “amazing” and said, “Can’t wait to see what they do when Bennett comes back to school!”