It is a question I always manage to answer incorrectly. This is one of the most awkward parts of day to day social interactions, and one I am particularly bad at. When meeting/seeing someone is it better to hug, shake hands or just sort of nod and smile? Obviously it differs from situation to situation but how do you know when to do which? A little while ago I saw an old friend of my boyfriend who I have only met once before. My boyfriend hugged him so I decided to follow suit. As I was hugging him he mumbled "Oh, wow, a full on hug? Okay..." Apparently I made the wrong choice in that situation. A few days later I saw another of my boyfriend's friends, this time one I know pretty well. I decided to go with hand shake, not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice. He laughed and pointed. (Okay, he didn't point but he did laugh) Ahhhhh! What is a girl supposed to do?
Fortunately there are some questions you can ask yourself:
- Have you ever spent time one-on-one with this person and not hated every minute of it? HUG.
- Is this the first time meeting this person, and you haven't previously heard a ton about them and feel like you already know them on some level even though technically you do not? NO HUG.
- Have you held their hair back while they puked? HUG.
- Have you ever punched them in the stomach and/or face? NO HUG.
- Is it a quasi-celebrity? NO HUG.
- Are you drunk? HUG. (Not that you necessarily should hug the person, but you will anyway, so I'm going to give it a pass)
- Are you high and kind of paranoid and worried that this person might be trying to steal your memories and/or soul? HUG. (Keep your friends close, but your memory/soul stealing cyborg enemies closer)
If you can't answer any of these with a yes, then I'm sorry my friends you're on your own. Your best bet is to imagine what I would do, and then do the opposite.
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