Are you a hugger?

[Karl_K]

On a scale of 0 to 10, if 0 was "don't touch me" and 10 was hugging too much - I'd say I'm a 4.

about a -10 as in ewwwwwwwwwww
I have a bad reaction to many perfumes and aftershaves so arms length is close enough thank you.

 

[vc10um]

I'm a huge hugger! I hug hello, I hug goodbye, I hug pretty much all the time. On Kenny's scale, I'm probably an 11.

And this is why we're friends.

 

[MissMina]

I think there is too much casual hugging today
Let's go back to shaking hands or better still nodding
I guess it could be worse
We could be into cheek kissing

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am noy a hugger and I do not like being touched by strangers or people who I am not in a very very close relationship with! I even, most of the time, don't like being hugged by DH My idea of snuggling is to lightly rest my hand on my husband's thigh or arm. I do snuggle and hug my son though.

ETA So I am probably a 2 on Kenny's scale. DH is about a 15 Makes for some funny conversations.

Fiery I am very physically affectionate with Hunter, but even then not as much as DH who is always wanting to hug and kiss him, and his favourite thing to do is tell Hunter to "Go give mommy a kiss! Give grandma a hug!" etc. DH is training Hunter to be affectionate. I prefer to take my cues from Hunter and give snuggles and kisses when he is in the mood and wants to play and interact. DH grabs him and kisses him no matter what he is doing, resulting in squirming galore Funny how people differ on this.

 

[Laila619]

I LOVE to hug my DH and we hug hello and good bye daily. I hug and pet my kitties all the time too. But family and friends, not so much. I find it sort of awkward.

I also don't like when parents make their kids give me a hug good bye, because the kid is usually playing and doesn't want to do it and so it's just a fake hug.

 

[princesss]

I think there is too much casual hugging today
Let's go back to shaking hands or better still nodding
I guess it could be worse
We could be into cheek kissing

Oh, I miss cheek kisses! Living in Europe and Asia/having lots of European friends, cheek kissing was a part of my daily life in high school. It feels very homey to me, and I wish it happened here more. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to move...

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Usually, I'm not. I hate having my space invaded. But it turns out I hug a lot. Especially people I haven't seen a while. Plus, ex-BF and his family is from the south, and they're all huggers, so I guess some of that rubbed off on me!

 

[zoebartlett]

I was having a conversation today with someone who mentioned that her family kisses each other on the lips. For some reason, that struck me as funny, and it would NEVER occur to me to do that with my family. Heck, we barely show any type of physical affection towards each other, and kissing on the lips would cross all sorts of boundaries in my book.

 

[Selkie]

I grew up in a very non-huggy, stiff-upper-lip family, and could probably count the number of hugs I exchanged with my dad's side of the family on one hand. Then I moved to LA, and like Thing2, noticed the ridiculous hug culture IMMEDIATELY, where even people you'd just met five minutes ago are suddenly your new BFF, and insist on hugging on every greeting and leaving. I am unfailingly awkward about hugging basically anyone other than my mom or DH, so I actually stress out about it and try to think of clever ways to avoid it. And to make matters worse, because I often feel obligated to hug now, I'll get into situations where I've initiated a hug with someone else who is totally uncomfortable with it too. So then we're both awkward and embarrassed. Don't even get me started on cheek kissing. Makes me SOOO uncomfortable but along with a huge hug it's the preferred mode of greeting and introduction in DH's family's culture.

 

[Selkie]

I was having a conversation today with someone who mentioned that her family kisses each other on the lips. For some reason, that struck me as funny, and it would NEVER occur to me to do that with my family. Heck, we barely show any type of physical affection towards each other, and kissing on the lips would cross all sorts of boundaries in my book.

EEEEK!!! Did they grow up in our neck of the woods, Zoe?

 

[zoebartlett]

I was having a conversation today with someone who mentioned that her family kisses each other on the lips. For some reason, that struck me as funny, and it would NEVER occur to me to do that with my family. Heck, we barely show any type of physical affection towards each other, and kissing on the lips would cross all sorts of boundaries in my book.

EEEEK!!! Did they grow up in our neck of the woods, Zoe?

Hahaha...yes they did! New Englanders aren't known for their warm and fuzzy nature (or at least, that's what I've been told by a few southern people I met last year). If being warm and fuzzy is equated with kissing others on the lips, then, hey, I'm okay with being stiff and unapproachable.

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

I hug family. That's about it. I'm not big on hugging, but if someone tries to hug me, I won't turn them down.

Also, I've always thought hand-shaking is a bit weird. In professional situations, that's fine. But I remember going to my dad's office with him when I was little and his coworkers/employees would shake my hand. Why does an adult need to shake a 10-year-old's hand? ...Always thought that was silly...

 

[Kaleigh]

I grew up in a family that showed no affection.

I love to give hugs, and like getting them too. When I see friends, it's always with a hug.

Not into the kissing on the cheek part.. They always kiss me on the cheek, I guess it's nice!! But the hug is better!!!

My kids always give me the biggest hugs, those are the ones I treasure the most!!! 22 and 20, I gotta take all I can get!! They might outgrow the need, scary thought!!!

 

[bee*]

I'm about a 7 on Kenny's scale. I'm definitely a hugger but if I thought someone was uncomfortable with it then I wouldn't hug them.

 

[oddoneout]

Hugs for me are reserved for family and friends (sometimes). I'm just not a "huggy" type of person.

 

[yennyfire]

I don't like obligatory hugs. That means hugging someone, or being hugged because it's part of their culture. My husband's friends are predominantly Latino, and they always greet me with a hug and a kiss (even when meeting for the first time), and I definitely feel uncomfortable. If I feel genuine pleasure of seeing a family member or a good friend, or someone in need, hugs are welcome!

On a scale of 1-10 (being the huggiest), I'm a 7! This is suprising to me because I grew up in a non-hugging Asian household. I guess I became a hugger later in life

I'm with jaysonsmom for the most part. I don't like hugs from complete strangers upon meeting, but welcome hugs from friends when I haven't seen them in a while. My parents weren't very affectionate (other than the standard kiss good night as a child) and I really wanted some contact from someone I loved and who loved me.

I am very affectionate with my kids, and they are with me. They are pretty young (3 and 5) so I hope it will continue as they get older. I sort of figure if it's something they're used to, they'll be comfortable with it?? At least I hope so...

 

[atroop711]

I'm a hugger, a touchy feely person IF I like you..that's one way to tell that I feel comfortable with you and like you (enjoy your company). If you're on my last nerve, no way in hell will I get anywhere near you

I'm hispanic..we kiss hello and good bye. So hugging is in my genes (well it skipped my mom..she's very cold..nice but cold. She hates anyone to touch her. She won't even go for a massage because she hates it so much. I'm her complete opposite..bring on the MASSAGE!

 

[catwalk82]

I only hug those nearest and dearest to me. Otherwise, I don't invite people to hug me. If someone I barely know gives me a big old hug, I get stiff as a board-tee hee. With that being said, my husband is definitely a hugger and my MIL would give everyone in the world a hug if she could.

 

[LGK]

My circle of very close friends and I always hug hello/goodbye. And I have a lot of somewhat more casual acquaintances who like to hug, so I go with it. So actually I guess I hug friends and family quite a lot, co-workers not really except on really rare occasions, but even acquaintances yes.

My DH's family has only recently- well, in the last five years or so- finally started hugging him & me, and I was the one who pushed the issue and started just hugging everyone because I knew they never would, and that DH wished that he could hug his dad more. I know it means a lot to him that his dad will finally hug him, now. He never did when DH was a kid.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I was not a natural hugger... but I realized there was a certain social tolerance I needed to develop for it. The one exception was my husband - he is a great hugger. I still remember the first hug he gave me... I thought wow this is the best hug I've ever had!

Then I had kids... I am very naturally huggy with them, even my daughter who is 16 still cuddles with me on the couch to watch movies or tv. and I found that this rubs off on me in other ways... I am way more tolerant of social hugging now, and even can *somewhat* enjoy it... it is easier for me to give comfort to others but still much harder to accept physical/emotional support like that from almost everyone.

 

[Tuckins1]

In my family, we hug. I hug my best friends when I see them, too. DH and I hug and kiss all the time (we're like newlyweds still )
DH's family does NOT hug. It's funny because when he sees my family they all make him hug them just to get his goat. He doesn't mind it, but he still thinks it's weird. His family doesn't really show affection like that so he's not used to it....