How to Hug

1. Approach the person. Depending on the person's relationship to you, you might want to approach differently:
   • Family Hug: Approach kindly, but not too emotionally.
   • Friend Hug (girls): Approach caringly, sometimes humorously, and smile.
   • Friend Hug (guys): Approach quickly, usually not looking them in the eye.
   • Crush Hug: Approach carefully, but do not seem shy. Smile slightly and perhaps say a caring word or two.
   • Lover Hug: It doesn't matter who starts this; either can make it just as romantic. When approaching, put your hands on their shoulders and look them in the eyes. Say you love them, how much you care for them, and how much you are loving every second with them. Then fall into each other and hug with all your heart.
   
2. Embrace.
   • Family Hug: You can keep talking when hugging; it will not ruin the momentum. Where you place your hands is not important; the hugged won't think it over too much. Press gently; it is not necessary to have head-contact. Stroke your hands quickly across the top of the hugged's back. Smile when letting go.
   • Friend Hug (girls): Close your eyes and think about how much you love your friend when hugging. Press as much as you feel like. (But don't squish!) Do not clap the hugged on the shoulders or such; its too masculine and some girls think you don't like them if you do it the guys' way.
   • Friend Hug (guys): Embrace strongly, and clap each other on the top of your backs. If it's an emotional moment, keep in the hugged position for a brief moment and do not clap each other's backs.
   • Crush Hug: Press the hugged warmly towards you. If you are a man, remember that it is more masculine and more protective to fold your arms under hers. Her arms should be around your neck, and you should be embracing her around the waist. When pressing her against you, you can lift her up a bit, pressing her chest and upper stomach against yours. Keep it in that position for a while, and then let go. Look her in the eyes when you separate and continue the conversation naturally.
   • Lover Hug: 1) Males: Carefully sliding your hands down from her shoulders, put them on her waist and slide them around her lower back. Put your head on her shoulder and press her towards you for as long as you like. If you want to, you can give her a small massage with your hands, and try to warm her. When separating, you can look into her eyes, smile genuinely and, if the situation is fitting, kiss her. 2) Females: Extend your arms toward him and hold them around his neck and shoulders. Lean as close as possible and press your torso against his. In situations of extreme intimacy, interlocking your leg in his is appropriate. Avoid holding your arms below his shoulders and/or embracing strongly and tensely.
3. Don't hug too tightly. The best way to judge how tight or loose to hug is to let whomever your hugging tell you by how hard they squeeze. If they are soft, be soft back; if they like bear hugs and squeeze tightly, do the exact same back (but don't suffocate him/her).
4. Don't be the first to let go. If someone hugs you, they may want a long, loving hug (maybe they are upset or down), so just go along with it and hug them until they let you go. A hug is a great thing and lots of people like them, as they can feel great and greatly improve your mood. However, if both of you have read this, neither of you will let go and you will be forced to continue hugging indefinitely, or simply appear rude. Perhaps you should get someone to pull the two of you apart after several moments.