“Hold Me Tighter!” — What Your Hug Style Says About Your Personality
Ever wondered what your partner’s hug really means? No, not just “I missed you” or “You smell like coffee.” According to German researchers, the way you hug could reveal if you’re a total softie, a control freak, or just really, really into spreadsheets.
Yep. Science says your hugging style might be your personality’s accidental megaphone.
Science + Hugs = Personality Decoder?
Researchers at MSH Medical School Hamburg (Germany knows how to party) used artificial intelligence and high-speed cameras—fourteen of them, actually—to record and analyze how 60 participants hugged. Participants were either couples or close friends, and they repeated huggy encounters while walking toward each other. (Rom-com montage, anyone?)
The AI tracked everything:
- Hug duration
- Knee, foot, and pelvis positions (getting technical)
- Distance between huggers (aka: how clingy are you, really?)
Longer Hugs = Love (Duh)
Not shocking: couples hugged way longer than friends.
- Lovers: ~7 seconds
- Friends: ~3 seconds
So yes, if your partner hugs you for only 2 seconds, maybe ask some follow-up questions.
But the juicy part? The researchers went beyond “how long” to ask: who hugs how, and why?
They analyzed personality types using the Big Five:
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism (aka, how twitchy are you?)
- Conscientiousness (the organized, planner type)
- Agreeableness
- Openness to experience
So… What Does Your Hug Say?
Here’s where it gets fun:
Neurotic? You Hug From a Distance
If you’re the anxious, overthinking type (“Did I leave the stove on?”), your hugs probably come with a bit of space. The research found neurotic folks tend to hug with more distance between bodies—like your subconscious is saying, “I want love, but also, please don’t touch me too much.”
Conscientious? You Hug Like a Champ
If you’re the kind of person who color-codes your Google Calendar and shows up 10 minutes early, you probably give firm, close-contact hugs. According to the study, high conscientiousness is linked to solid, no-nonsense embraces. You trust people. You hug like you mean it.
Hug Length ≠ Personality
Surprisingly, the length of the hug didn’t depend much on personality. It was more about the type of relationship—romantic vs. platonic. So don’t overanalyze a short hug. Unless it’s from your partner. Then maybe overanalyze just a little.
Professor Says…
Sebastian Ocklenburg, the head researcher (and possibly a professional hug critic now), said:
“Hugging is one of the most common types of emotional touch in daily life.”
He also added that if we add pressure sensors to hugs in the future (yes, that’s a thing), we’ll be able to study them even more closely. Because clearly, we haven’t overthought human touch enough.
TL;DR: What’s Your Hug Vibe?
- Hug like a plank of wood? Might be neurotic.
- Hug like a warm human blanket? Probably responsible and secure.
- Hug too long? You’re in love. Or just awkward.
So next time your partner hugs you, don’t just enjoy the moment. Analyze it. Judge it. Psychoanalyze it. Just kidding… kind of.
Now excuse us while we go ask our significant others:
“Babe… do you hug me like a neurotic or a conscientious person?”
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