Hugging: A New Wordless Custom Among Friends in American Culture?

For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: May 27, 2009
The New York Times

[...]There is the basic friend hug, probably the most popular, and the bear hug, of course. But now there is also the bear claw, when a boy embraces a girl awkwardly with his elbows poking out.

There is the hug that starts with a high-five, then moves into a fist bump, followed by a slap on the back and an embrace.

There’s the shake and lean; the hug from behind; and, the newest addition, the triple — any combination of three girls and boys hugging at once[...]

[...]“No hi, no smile, no wave, no high-five — just the hug. Witnessing this interaction always makes me feel like I am a tourist in a country where I do not know the customs and cannot speak the language.”[...]

[...] Some parents find it paradoxical that a generation so steeped in hands-off virtual communication would be so eager to hug.

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