hugging news stories on Newser

Brooklyn School Bans Hugs

Kevin Spak — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:14:05 CDT

The Brooklyn Prospect Charter School is cracking down on that most deviant of tween behaviors: hugging. The school has instituted a rule banning hugs in the hallways, outraging many students and teachers, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Though the rule was purportedly instituted after a sixth-grader said a hug from an...

NJ Middle School: No Hugs Allowed

Matt Cantor — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:07:37 CDT

At one New Jersey middle school, hugs must wait until after the bell rings, Fox News reports. Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School's principal has labeled it a "no hugging school," with the superintendent citing "incidents of unsuitable physical interactions." Students who do embrace won't be suspended, but kids say they could get...

Guys Need Hugs More

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:45:00 CDT

Here's something that might surprise women, but men apparently already know: Guys need cuddling more than their girlfriends. That's the finding of a new study that looked at men and women in relationships in US, Brazil, German, Japan, and Spain. "I really appreciate it when she holds my hand or...

Hey, America: Stop Hugging Me

Matt Cantor — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:05:05 CDT

We’re facing a hugging epidemic in America: not only do we hug our friends constantly, we’re also expected to hug our friends’ girlfriends’ coworkers, writes Juliet Lapidos in Slate . Sure, there are times when hugs are called for: when the hugger is your boyfriend, or your mother, or when you...

At Office, Anything Beyond Handshake Can be Touchy

Nick McMaster — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:15:01 CDT

After countless bear hugs, fist bumps, elbow grips, and pats-on-the-back, Elizabeth Bernstein realized that she is her office’s “touchee”—someone co-workers know will be receptive to physical demonstrations of support, she writes for the Wall Street Journal. That got her thinking: When is such touching OK, and when does it...

Not All Schools Embrace Teen Hugging Fad

Matt Cantor — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:26:23 CDT

Hugging is hip these days among teens: School hallways are clogged with pairs, or trios, of kids embracing, the New York Times reports. “We’re not afraid, we just get in and hug,” said a high school junior. But some schools aren’t so happy with the public affection. “Touching and physical...

'Hugging Saint' Embraces NYC

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:30:00 CDT

Over the past 2 days one woman has hugged more than 8,000 Manhattanites, reports the New York Times. Her name is Mata Amritanandamayi, but her followers call her Amma, or the “Hugging Saint.” She has been hugging anyone and everyone since she was a teenager in India, and now...

Teenagers Kiss Off S. African Lip-Locking Ban

Laurel Jorgensen — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 09:06:02 CST

South African teenagers held a “kiss-in” yesterday to protest a new law that criminalizes romantic physical contact with anyone under 16, the Washington Post reports. The "Kissing Law” is intended to make it easier to prosecute older men sexually involved with younger girls. But the law has outraged students, pushing...

Schools Squeeze Out Hugs

Lucas Laursen — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:06:00 CST

An eighth-grade student’s double detention for hugging friends at school has sparked a national debate. Rules concerning public displays of affection in school have surged over the last two decades, reports Time magazine , but there is little consensus about how far they should go in governing student behavior. Some schools...