Nice little article on the School of Life site about the relationship between compassion and circulating levels of oxytocin.
It references Paul Zak’s talk on TED.COM.
It appears that there’s a relationship between our oxytocin levels and how much compassion we experience. Of course, as with so much neuroscience, this can’t be described as simply cause and effect but the correlation is still an interesting one.
I particularly like the concluding recommendation about how to increase your oxytocin levels –
To make a decision to raise the level of oxytocin in our bodies – Zak’s prescription is “eight hugs a day” – and reduce, say, levels of the stress hormone cortisol, seems as conscious a moral choice as giving to charity or embracing a religious creed. And if the outcome is the same, then let’s get hugging now
Never mind your 5 a day veggie and fruit portions – have you had your 8 hugs today yet??
Heroes Not Zombies 
I so, dearly, deeply wish 8 hugs a day were available to me. Boy would I take them and give them back in spades. The vast majority of the time, they are not. And the impact of this absence is one I feel acutely. I wonder how many millions of individuals (especially in the UK) feel the same way (or are even consciously aware of that lack/need in their life).