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15 Types of Hugs And What They Tell About Your Relationship
From bear hugs to side hugs, learn all about the different types of hugs and what they say about a relationship.
Hugs are powerful enough to release tension and make you feel at peace. Whether we are happy, sad, excited, or trying to comfort someone, hugging is highly comforting in all scenarios. Hugs are not only meant for couples but for everyone. There are various types of hugs, each with different meanings. Also, there are various health benefits of hugging. While one might think hugging is merely an act of providing comfort to someone, the truth is it does more than that. When we embrace someone, our body releases feel-good hormones that help us relieve stress and be at ease. Our contributor, Chris Pleines, a Dating expert, lists some benefits of hugs saying, “Hugs offer more than just comfort. They help your body release oxytocin, promoting feelings of closeness and reducing stress; decrease cortisol levels, help lower stress and anxiety; elevate mood by boosting serotonin and dopamine; strengthen the immune system; and promote a sense of safety and trust between individuals.”
From different hugging styles to their benefits, learn all about hugging here. Read on to know more.
1. The Bear Hug
The bear hug is one of the best types of romantic hugs and signals intimacy between a couple. In this, a person wraps their arms around another one and hugs them tightly. This hug is common between couples and can be platonic too. When you give someone a bear hug, it shows care, affection, and genuine love. People who are close to each other and share happy moments together usually go for bear hugs.
2. Side Hug
In the list of different hugs, the side hug is pretty common. Sideway hugs are generally shared between friends, family members, or even colleagues. It doesn't include a lot of touches and is considered a polite gesture. Side hugs involve a person draping their arms around the other person's shoulders. Although it is a casual hug, it gives a quick sense of comfort and provides affection to others.
3. Back Hug
This is one of the favorite types of hugs of most couples. Back hugs involve a person wrapping their arms around the other person from behind. This type of hug shows affection, warmth, and a deep sense of comfort between two people. The back hug shows that a person is deeply fond of you, trusts you, and seeks solace in your arms. To explain better, our contributor, Chris Pleines, states, “In terms of masculine-feminine polarity, a back hug can symbolize various feelings like protectiveness or intimate closeness, but either gender can initiate a back hug, as “masculine” and “feminine” energies are not strictly tied to gender. ”
4. Eye-to-eye Hug
This is one of the most common types of intimate hugging that requires a couple to stare into each other's eyes and wrap arms around their shoulders or waist. An eye-to-eye hug means that you two share a deep bond and love each other a lot. There is a lot of eye contact in this hug and you can go for this type of hug on a dance floor and amplify the romantic connection.
5. Mount Hug
This is also known as a straddle hug and happens when the woman jumps into the arms of her man, her arms wrapping around his neck. This type of hug shows a passionate connection between two people and that both people are comfortable with each other.
6. Quick Hug
As the name suggests, in this type of hug, people embrace each other politely for a second or so. Quick hugs are rarely shared between a romantic couple and are common among friends, colleagues, or family members. In a quick hug, the lower body parts don't touch at all. A quick hug is also given when someone is in a hurry or sees you only as a friend.
7. Waist Hugs
Hugging someone around the waist is an intimate and romantic and passionate hug that shows that you are comfortable with your partner and adore them a lot. In this, one person wraps their arms around their partner's waist to show their care and love.
8. Buddy’s Hug
When you hug multiple people together, it is known as a group hug or buddy's hug. This type of hug is common when you meet a group of friends after a long time. It shows affection, togetherness, and a strong friendship bond.
9. Snuggly Hug
Every couple loves to cuddle and get cozy together. Snuggly hugs signify trustworthiness and affection in your relationship. When you give someone a snuggly or cuddle hug, you wrap your arms around their waist and rest your head on their chest. You can make things more romantic by kissing your partner and giving them a cuddly hug.
10. Hug with One Arm
A one-armed hug is one of the most common kinds of hugs between people who share a platonic relationship. As the name suggests, this type of hug requires a person to wrap one around the other person's back or shoulder. There is minimal touching in this hug, which is usually given when you are not really close to someone.
11. Twirl Around Hug
When a couple meets after a long time or shares happy moments, they hug each other tightly. But in this hug, there is a fun twist - usually, the man lifts his woman and twirls her around, hugging her tightly. These hugs are common when a couple hasn't seen each other for a while, and get all lovey-dovey when they meet each other. This hug shows strong chemistry between a couple.
12. Patting Hug
This is one of the most common types of hugs shared between friends to show warmth and affectionate feelings. In this, people hug each other and give a few pats on their friend's back. This kind of hug is often shared between close friends and is given to greet friends or congratulate them for something.
13. Self Hug
You don't always need someone to hug you and can provide yourself comfort with the help of a self-hug. Wrap your arms around yourself and get the secure feeling of affection and love.
14. One-Sided Hug
This is one of the most interesting types of hugs that signifies a lack of love from the other person. In this, the hugger wraps their arms around the other person's shoulders but there is no reciprocation from the other side. This type of hug is considered cold and shows that there is love from one side or that the person who is hugged is uncomfortable or too shy.
15. Heartbeat Hug
This is one of the most intense types of hugs wherein a couple embraces each other from the left side to make their hearts touch. This type of hug signifies a close bond between a couple and a deep romantic relationship.
Health Benefits of Hugging
1. It Alleviates Stress
Have you ever noticed how you immediately feel relieved when someone hugs you in low moments? That happens because hugging releases feel-good hormones in our bodies and helps us release stress. Moreover, studies suggest that giving support to people through physical touch provides comfort and helps reduce their stress levels (1).
2. It May Keep Your Heart Healthy
Hugging can help you keep heart disease at bay. According to a study, holding hands and warm hugs can help reduce blood pressure, thereby boosting your heart health (2). Another study suggests that hugging lowers blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women (3).
3. It May Reduce Pain
According to a study, some forms of touch can be helpful in reducing pain (4). Hugging is an act of holding someone close and may help alleviate pain.
4. It May Help You Build Communication with Others
Communication is necessary for all human beings and we communicate verbally, through facial expressions, or through touch. According to research, people express a range of emotions better through touch. These emotions include fear, love, happiness, sadness, and disgust (5).
5. It May Protect You Against Various Illnesses
Hugging not only pulls two people closer together but also can help them stay protected against various health ailments. According to a study, people who get frequent hugs are less likely to get sick (6).
How Long Should Hugs Last?
There is no definite answer to how long a hug should last. Couple hugs can last from ten seconds to a few minutes, whereas quick hugs generally last for one second or two.
Conclusion
Hugs aren't solely meant for couples; there are different types of hugs that can be given to friends, family, and even your pets. More importantly, you can also hug yourself when nobody is there with you. Hugging should be an important part of your life as it comes with various benefits. Right from improving your overall health to inducing sleep, there are a variety of reasons why you should hug your loved ones. Just make sure to understand the relationship dynamics before hugging someone, so you don't make the other person uncomfortable.
Contributor: Chris Pleines, Dating expert - Datingscout
Sources:
1. Neural correlates of giving support to a loved one
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22071630/
2. Warm partner contact is related to lower cardiovascular reactivity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15206831/
3. More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15740822/
4. The Effects of Therapeutic Touch on Pain
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0898010108327213
5. The communication of emotion via touch
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-11528-017
6. Does Hugging Provide Stress-Buffering Social Support? A Study of Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection and Illness
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614559284
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