LSU is definitely a touchy, feely place. One phenomenon that occurs regularly that I have found particularly interesting is hugging. To the casual observer, all hugs appear similar. A closer look, however, can reveal the nature of the relationship between the people in the embrace. There are probably countless classifications of hugs. I have described the types I observed most frequently.
The “Perfunctory” hug
This is the hug you give to everyone you see. It simply says “Hi, good to see you again.” Or “I hug you every other time I see you, so I cannot stop today.” There is nothing more and nothing less in this hug. If the area is too congested or the two parties are too far apart, this hug may be skipped.
“I will hug you because I hugged everyone else” hug
Often as we go through the day we see our friends. Sometimes they are with their friends who are not our friends too. When the nature of the friendship calls for a hug in the greeting all parties will receive one. Not just the people the hugger knows. This prevents all parties from feeling uncomfortable. This hug may be skipped if the hugger is uncomfortable with the unknown person or fears the hug will become an unsolicited grope when administered to a stranger.
“What’s your name” hug
This hug is done to save face. In lieu of standing face to face long enough to have to call the other persons’ name and enduring the subsequent embarrassment because you don’t know it, the person chooses to hug. This buys the forgetful one plenty of time to try their hardest to remember their friend’s name. This hug is usually followed by this conversation. Forgetful one “so how have you been?” the one with the good memory “I am good, insert name of forgetful one here.” At this point the forgetful one flees the scene claiming to be late, really busy or in a rush to get somewhere.
The “I want you” hug
As I have observed it, this hug is usually initiated by the person with the strongest attraction. The hug begins as a standard hug and ends with the initiator moving his or her arms down the body of the recipient instead of simply releasing. Their hands usually stop at the waistline; move to the small of the recipient’s back, remain a moment and release. This small, yet significant departure from the customary hug reveals a strong attraction on the part of the initiator. When the recipient quickly pulls away or pats the initiator on the back it is clear that the feelings are not mutual or the recipient is embarrassed.
The “Run and hug”
This hug is only appropriate certain times and places … it is never performed at that time or in that place. Usually the recipient looks nice, is supposed to be on their best behavior or is in the company of strangers. However, when the initiator sees the other party he or she throws caution to the wind. The initiator calls out the recipient’s name, and runs to the other person, with arms extended. Two to three feet before the recipient the initiator literally takes off and lands on the other party. Legs wrapped around their body, arms tightly clasped around their neck. After the initial shock the recipient places the initiator on the ground, brushes himself off and tries to attract as little attention as possible for the rest of the evening.
So at this time of year when bad days are frequent, exhaustion is persistent, and projects, tests, and papers take the fun out of life, and Thanksgiving cannot get here fast enough, give someone a hug. Or sit back and watch as people hug each other. I, however, recommend giving because you never know when the right hug from the right person can be the perfect remedy to a terrible day.