you happier. this chemical our body releases when we hug someone. >> who wants a hug? john: my producer, ricky ratliff went to sometimes square to try her own hug experiment which i will get to in a bit. dr. zachary researches, oxitoxin helps people cooperate. >> we were wondering why prosperity lives in some countries, not others. we began studying the role of trust and to really understand that we wanted to get a biological basis why we trust strangers. john: we trust strangers because of a certain chemical in our body? >> it functions to cause us to reciprocate always. you are nice to me, i'm nice to you. essentially the biological basis for the golden rule. john: by hugging people people release more of this hormone -- >> oxitocin, which also makes people happier? >> happier. healthier -- oxytocin.