Wed, June 10, 2009 - 1:02:46

Hug It Out

At some point in your life, someone has probably told you that “there’s nothing more important than a good handshake.”  Looking someone straight in the eyes, grasping their hands, and flashing a big smile has been the hallmark of the American greeting for generations.  But, according to a recent article in the New York Times and a companion piece on NBC’s Today Show, there is a seismic shift occurring among some of our youngest citizens.  Where there once were handshakes, there are now hugs.

Sarah Kershaw writes that teens across the nation have embraced hugging as the standard form of greeting in a big way.  Like a grassroots movement, hugging slowly-but-surely has taken over the teenage landscape.  The ultimate in low-tech social networking, hugging, it seems, is the next big thing.

Contrary to what you might think, teens explain that although there are many different types of hugs, they are in large part non-romantic.  Instead, they’re using the embrace as a way to say hello, express friendship, and establish connections.  Where handshakes, high fives, and fist pounds are were once the norm, students and teachers now note that the much more personal act of the hug is now considered commonplace.  In fact, one student even remarked, “If somebody were to not hug someone, to never hug anybody, people might be just a little wary of them and think they are weird or peculiar.”

But, not everyone is ready to jump on the hugging bandwagon.  In fact, fearing complaints and potential lawsuits many schools across the country have banned hugging entirely, while some students confess to feeling pressured to hug. 

Perhaps, the New York Times writer speculates, all this hugging is partially a result of all of the time teens spend socializing virtually through sites like Facebook and MySpace, making them long for a closer human connection.  Or, maybe it was fueled by the community-based, play-date centric approach many of this generation’s parents took. But, one thing is certain, students in middle and high school are using the hug as a way to say hello more than ever before. 

It makes us wonder, will there come a day when hugs replace handshakes in the business world?  Will people in the workforce adopt the teen trend and take hugging from the classroom to the boardroom? It may seem farfetched, but stranger things have happened.  After all, while today almost all of us will confess to being social media addicts, teens were the first to take part in the trend.

We’d love to hear your take, so chime in with a comment or follow us on Twitter to share your thoughts. 

Posted by Linda and Robin