15 Different Types of Hugs and Their Meanings

Hugging is underrated, powerful, and compelling.

By balancing the purity of simply wanting to embrace another human as a means to showcase your love to them with the intimacy that can also be derived from a tight embrace, different types of hugs can do a lot.

And by doing a lot, we mean so in an emotional manner. Hugging is key to building trust and bringing yourself closer in both the physical realm and in your relationship. It is a definitive means by which your body language can act as a medium to express your feelings.

From enhancing your love life to promoting overall comfort in your relationship, hugging should never be forgotten or taken for granted.

So check out this guide on the different types of hugs and their benefits, and see exactly what this body language of love might reveal about your relationship.  

What does a hug mean?

A hug can mean a lot of things. It is a way of showing love. A hug could mean support, comfort, or consolation. When words fall short or do not feel enough, a hug can express the emotions one feels about the situation or towards a person.

What do hugs mean, then? It is a way to express emotional warmth. However, different hugs can mean different things as well. Read on to learn about different types of hugs and what they mean.

What are some secrets about hugs that people won’t tell you? Watch this video to know more.

The benefits of hugging

Do you wonder why do people hug? What is the significance of a hug?

Before discussing the different types of hugs, let us know some of the amazing benefits of hugging.

A simple hug is one of the best ways to show social and romantic support for someone and to help lower stress levels for the person you are comforting and yourself.

Studies have proven that hugs can lower your heart rate and blood pressure before a stressful task, proving that hugging could be extremely beneficial for your heart health!

Overall, hugging styles are one of the most subtly intimate connections that maintain tons of health benefits for your body, so much so that hugging can even help protect you from illness!

Aside from being healthy for you, hugging is healthy for your relationship. This non-sexual form of closeness is perfect for demonstrating your love through body language. Hugging has been shown to better promote one’s ability to communicate emotion via touch.

The less stressed and the healthier we feel, the happier we become and the more we can project that happiness directly back into our relationships, all while building connection through sexless touch.

It only takes one hug a day to reap the benefits of this under-the-radar act, so it’s well worth a nice tight embrace the next time you are with your loved one, right?

Here are listed some of the major benefits of hugging.

• Hugs reduce stress by comforting in times of help
• Hugs safeguard you against several illnesses
• Hugs work as instant mood lifters and make you happier
• Hugs result in a healthier heart
• Hugs lessen your pain
• Hugs are a medium of effective communication

How hugs can benefit your relationship – 6 ways

Now that you know how hugs are beneficial physically and mentally, here are some benefits of hugging in your relationship.

1. Boosts oxytocin

Oxytocin is the love hormone – it is the hormone that bonds you with your partner. Different types of romantic hugs help the brain produce more oxytocin, which means you will feel more love in your relationship. And when has more love been a bad thing, right?

2. Produces serotonin

Another feel-good hormone is serotonin. It is vital for people to stay happy, and it is produced when the brain’s reward system is triggered. Hugs can help the brain produce more serotonin, which means you will generally feel happier and more positive with your partner.

3. Reduces stress

Hugs are known to be comforting. They help reduce stress and keep blood pressure under control. This means that you and your partner are healthy and happy. When your stress levels are low, you can focus on your marriage and relationship better.

Related Reading: 10 Ways to Have Stress-reducing Conversations With Your Partner

4. Better sleep

Another health benefit of hugging is better sleep. Reduced stress levels mean that you not only sleep for the right duration, but the quality of sleep is also better. However, better sleep also means a better relationship since you feel physically and mentally healthy, reflecting your behavior with your partner.

5. Improves intimacy

Intimacy is not just sexual. Hugging can do a lot for your intimacy with your partner. As hugs denote support and love, your partner is likely to feel closer to you emotionally and physically with different ways to hug.

As Dr. Jennifer Jacobsen, PhD in Psychology, explains

Intimacy isn’t just about sex. Hugging and other forms of physical trust can build intimacy, improving the trust and connection in your relationship.

6. Builds trust

Another way hugs can benefit your relationship is that they help in building more trust in your relationship. Hugs feel supportive and help you bond. They say you can count on your partner, which helps build more trust.

15 different types of hugs and their meanings

Here are listed some common types of hugs you must have seen in the movies, around you, or even experienced yourself. But not every type of hug conveys the same meaning or emotion.

Read on to discover the meanings of these different types of hugs.

1. The bear hug

When it comes to different hugging styles, let’s start with a classic: “The Bear Hug.”

The bear hug is that big ol’ embrace in which you wrap your arms around each other, pulling the other person towards you as tightly as possible and squeezing them as though you never want to let go!

A bear hug is an excellent indication of a healthy relationship. A sign of trust, intimacy beyond sexuality, and protection!

First and foremost, this hug showcases the intimacy you share, as even though the hug itself might not be that sexy, it indicates pure trust. And, of course, this hug indicates that you want to protect your partner and always provide them with a safe place.

A bear hug is a wonderful means to help reduce anxiety or stress, and not much feels better than when your partner brings you as close as possible to their existence.

So, now you know how to give good hugs!

2. A squeeze from behind

Like the bear hug, tightly hugging someone from behind is another definitive showcase of a relationship in which the partner hugging tells the other through this body language that they are there to act as their protector in life and will not let anything happen to them.

A hug from behind the waist usually comes with a slight surprise. It often occurs during everyday life moments, like having your back turned while cooking dinner, so this protective hug also speaks aloud of your affection.

The random embrace of which the other is unaware until it happens will immediately spark feel-good emotions throughout the body and mind, as the surprise is part of what defines the fact that your love is always there. A hug from behind will always go appreciated in a relationship.

3. A pick-up and swing hug

How to hug a girl in a way that leaves her pleasantly surprised?

Go for a pick-up and swing hug!

When the fire of your love is roaring and you alas see your partner after you have spent some time apart, picking them up in a wild embrace, cliche to the movies, is always a beautiful indication of the way that you feel for one another.

If you and your partner share these moments, then it is safe to say that you are wildly in love and that your passion is at its peak. Just never let these moments fade with time!

4. A hug at the waist

How to hug romantically?

A hug at the waist is indeed one of the most romantic and intimate hugs!

A hug at the waist brings one partner below the shoulders of the other, down and closer to the stomach during this embrace.

This hug is a wonderful means of manifesting intimacy with your partner. This hug (to the person hugging) speaks loudly about feeling comfortable with your intimacy and trusting your partner to cater to the delicacy of romantic feelings.

If you want to tell your partner that you love them, that you find them extremely attractive, and that you both trust and want to maintain your intimacy, then hugging each other around the waist is a perfect means to do so.

5. The eye contact hug

Eyes are the window to the soul, right?

Combine the unspoken message of love and intimacy through the language of eye contact with the physical touch and embrace of a hug, and you will never feel so at home and so wanted.

This is certainly one of the best types of hugs that allows you to go beyond just the physical aspects of your relationship.

It helps you share a moment locked into the gaze of your partner. It shows that you have taken down all barriers and trust them and yourself to always care for one another.

Related Reading: 10 Powers of Eye Contact in a Relationship

6. The “I want you” hug

With love comes intimacy, and with intimacy comes the desire to physically be as close to your partner as possible.

A seductive hug, such as one that involves the touching of the hair or a light brush of hands down the back, is a way to tell your partner or your partner to tell you that they wish to take things behind closed doors.

Use this type of hug as a subtle and romantic means of initiating your desire to get close.

7. The extended hug

How to give the best hug to your partner?

A long-lasting hug that feels as though time no longer exists is the absolute best way to symbolize to your partner the infinite nature of your love for them.

When you enter an embrace that you never want to leave, and so you don’t, you create a moment that will embed itself into your shared intimacy forever, further enhancing and strengthening your bonds.

You can also rub the back while hugging to console or comfort your partner during the extended hug.

8. The friendly hug

Not all types of hugs are meant for friends. So, how do you hug a friend or someone in the family?

This hug is one of the safest types of hugs that you can give to your family and friends.

A hug with a slight pat on the back is a great way to show someone that you are there for them, that you care about them, and that you are there for more comfort when comfort is needed.

When delicate situations arise or you want to step back and appreciate your partner beyond just intimacy, appreciating the foundational elements of your love, such as friendship, this hug is a great way to showcase this.

9. The side hug

A side hug is a perfect way to maintain intimacy in public situations or around your family and friends. If you and your partner are in a setting such as a party, and they walk up and gently place one arm along your lower back, this is an excellent sign of a healthy relationship.

This type of hug says I want to be close, and I am not afraid of showing that we are together and in love, but in a way that is subtle and not over the top.

10. Heart-to-heart hug

A heart-to-heart hug is when two people embrace each other from the left part of their bodies so that their hearts touch first. This type of hug signals intimacy and can mean friendly or romantic intimacy, based on your relationship with the person.

11. The classic hug

As the name suggests, the classic hug is a friendly hug that close friends and family give each other. It means love, but not the romantic kind. It also means support and comfort – the feelings friends and family stand for.

12. The quick hug

Another type of hug is a quick hug. This is very meaningful and is often given to people in social settings as a greeting. It might be more friendly and intimate than the classic hug. However, it does denote welcomeness and warmth.

13. A one-armed hug

This hug is also purely platonic. If someone gives you a one-armed hug, they think of you as an acquaintance or, at max, a friend. A one-armed hug means you are still in the friend zone. It does, however, still mean support and comfort.

14. The patting hug

The patting hug is usually given to friends and family as a way of comfort. While all types of hugs signify comfort, the patting hug specifically means comfort. It might be given to someone struggling with something that increases their need for support.

15. The triangle hug

This is a hug where the two people hugging may be awkward. This type of hug is usually given when people are unsure if they are close enough to hug each other, but the setting demands that they do. 

How many hugs do we need?

Are you wondering how many hugs are sufficient for optimal health?

Well, as per Virginia Satir-“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

This might sound like a lot of hugs, but we can never have enough hugs, can we?

If you want to lead a healthier and happier life, hugs seem like a good solution to resolve your problems and communicate better.

When in doubt, you need to hug it out. Hugs are harmless and healthy, after all.

As Dr. Jacobsen explains,

If the physical touch in your relationship is lacking, starting with just one or two hugs a day can make a difference.

Watch this video to learn how touch affects our mental and physical health:

Some commonly asked questions:

Here are some frequently asked questions about different types of hugs.

• What type of hugs do guys like?

According to articles, the grab-on-the-waist hug is what guys like the most. This type of hug means you share a very close bond with your partner. It denotes trust, emotional and physical intimacy, love and adoration.

• How long should a friendly hug last?

Research suggests that hugs should last between five to ten seconds. Long hugs are known to provide comfort and consolation more than shorter hugs. Therefore, if someone is your friend, you should ideally hug them for a few seconds, so they feel the warmth and welcomeness.

• How do you know that a hug is romantic?

Romantic hugs can be told from platonic hugs, based on the type of hug. Among the types of hugs mentioned above, romantic hugs would be the ones that are more intimate – such as hugs from behind, hugs on the waist, heart-to-heart hugs, and similar ones. 

Wrapping up

We have learned what the different types of hugs are and what they mean. Hugs and love share a deep connection indeed.

But now we also know that two people hugging do not always mean the same thing. Depending on the type of hug, we can gauge their relationship or the emotions they share.

So, when you wish to express your feelings for your loved ones or your deep love for your partner, do not hold yourself back from hugging them. Use the different types of hugs mentioned in this article with the right person and at the right time!

Meanwhile, if you need help with your relationship, relationship counseling may be a very healthy route.