Quote:
Originally Posted by alli-oop
My mom and I were out for breakfast yesterday and not too far away a group of 8 or so men, late 40ish, 50s, got up to leave and they were hugging saying bye.
We were talking about how you see that more these days, men hugging each other. It's becoming more accepted as men seem to grow up (I mean emotionally). It's really nice to see, kind of heartwarming. I bet they are more emotionally healthy as well, for several reasons.
So what about you guys? Do you hug your guy buddies more when you meet up or depart? Do you feel there's less negative stigma around men hugging these days? How does it make you feel about yourself?
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I think it's usually either situational, or custom-related.
You can't just assume that those 8 men were casual friends who liked to hug. Maybe they were family? Maybe they were very close friends? Maybe they observed different traditions? Hell, they could have even been church-goers at a non-denominational church. I know those guys hug like there's no tomorrow...
I wouldn't pose a question based on that occurrence without having more details, but generally, most people I've met throughout my life that I know enough to speak for will say that hugs between men are shared with close family and/or close friends. And that demographic will usually involve older men who don't have the same social hangups younger men tend to have. But I can't apply that to everyone. Some folks just express things in different ways.
Custom-wise, there can be wide differences. For instance, during my time in Iraq and Kuwait, it was common to see male friends holding hands. For them, hand holding is a sign of friendship, and not interpreted in the same way westerners may typically interpret it. Some customs are carried over with people who immigrate, and some just run in family tradition or habits.
It just goes to show you that there can be a variety of factors behind occurrences you witness, and viewing them as a broad movement or relating it to emotional health is probably not going to be accurate.