Last week I asked you what hugs you welcomed, and what hugs you shrug from. While the most agreed-upon hug was no surprise, I didn't see many of the results coming — like group hugs, with 48 percent of you voting yes to, coming in fourth place. Only three hugs placed above it, garnering at least a two-thirds majority to make them nearly universally welcomed hugs. See which ones they are below
There's no better place to read between the grip than the hug. It's like a gauge of human emotions. Weak, halfhearted hugs are disappointing and can demonstrate obligation or distraction, but it's the hug that goes from friendly to let's get a room that I'm interested in. Learn how to discern the we're-just-friends hug from the something-more — and more — hug.
Friendly Hug
These hugs may be longer than a hello hug between girlfriends, but the we're-just-friends variety works like this: Your arms go below his shoulders while his go around yours. His hands may wander if you stay long enough, but really shouldn't go beyond your midback or upper arms. There may be a quick peck on the cheek, which you can analyze based on previous hugs or if he kisses other girls. A longer hug when one of you is comforting the other rarely means anything beyond friendship, but can!
Something-More Hug
If the friendly hug gets friendlier then something more may be behind it. When chests touch while both people hug each other's shoulders, it's considered a heart-to-heart hug. It's definitely a sign that there's more where that came from. The placement of hands is also key. If hands wander longer and farther than normal then it's probably not your imagination — but his!
Make-No-Mistake-About-It Hug
Whether you're in a relationship or not, if there is lower-body contact then you two are either having sex or will be very soon. When a guy hugs you from behind (hopefully you know him . . . well!) then he can't wait to be alone with you. Longer and tighter hugs signal intense feelings, and they demonstrate commitment when done in public.
Kids have replaced the handshake with a hug in many situations. The world has become a more modern and casual place, and some children wrap their arms around each other instead of saying a simple "hi" or "goodbye." From the park to playdates and the schoolyard to the sandbox, children exchange an embrace as a sign of affection or friendship. Has your tot bought into the trend?
Would you wait in line for a hug? Jaded New Yorkers did from Tuesday through yesterday — just to get an embrace from an Indian woman dubbed ">the Hugging Saint. (She probably hugged 20,000 New Yorkers by the end of it all.) Amma Amritanandamayi, 54, has been dispensing hugs for about 30 years in her travels around the world, and it's estimated that the "Hugging Saint" has given around 27 million hugs.
What's so special about her hugs? One person says it's not an ordinary hug. Another says it helps clear her mind. "Everyone comes to her," says a 38-year-old acupuncturist, "because they're in some kind of pain — cancer, love, family, kids. They want something from her. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't."
Although Amma says she's not a faith healer, one couple says it was only after Amma hugged them that they were finally able to conceive. Amma, who began spontaneously hugging people around the age of 8 or 9, told the Daily News through a translator, "The purest form of love can change people and that's what I'm trying to do." (The video above shows Amma embracing New Yorkers last year during her visit.)
It's one small squeeze for woman, one giant leap for hug-kind. I didn't believe the prevalence of the McCain/Palin embrace until I went searching for pictures — and found the mother lode of warm greetings. The second mixed-gender ticket in history is breaking the boundaries of the cold handshake with a now signature — yet brief and businesslike — clinch.
What a change from 1984, when candidate Walter Mondale had a strict look-don't-touch policy with his running mate, Geraldine Ferraro — so much so that he didn't even put palm to back when the two stood side by side on stage, with waving arms high. Ferraro remembers, “people were afraid that it would look like, ‘Oh, my God, they’re dating.’ ”
While Palin gets the hugs, Cindy gets the smooches — and now the first introduction — when they're all on stage together. To see how that evolved, and who disapproves, read more
As you might have read in my latest Family Ties, my lil one is sick again. She's coughing up a storm and it scares her every time. She's not much of a cuddle bug when she's feeling well, but that has certainly changed with this cold. Every time she starts to hack a little, her eyes pop open with fear and with outstretched wings, she lunges for me.
When your babe isn't feeling well, be sure to give them lots of love and affection. It seems like a no brainer and is an easy thing to do, but one of the best things you can do for baby is to provide some good old TLC.
A recently completed "puppology" survey of 1,450 puppy owners in the UK found that an astonishing 95 percent of the respondents were more likely to give their puppies a cuddle at the end of a long day than their partners or friends! The survey set out to see whether new pet owners understood the huge benefits that rewards, hugs, and affection can have during training. Regardless of the motivation behind the snuggles, I'm so fascinated by their results that I'm going to recreate that survey, PetSugar-style. Let me know who gets more hugs in your family – the people or the pets!
