fun fact; not everyone likes hugs
little psa; some people have touch issues! surprise hugs can be nice, OR they can be super uncomfortable and even painful or traumatic. DO NOT ASSUME that people enjoy being touched. if you know a person well enough to know that they won’t mind, sure, go ahead and pat them on the back or ruffle their hair. but if you do not know someone, ALWAYS ask before initiating contact, and RESPECT THEIR CHOICE if they say ‘no thanks’, even if they don’t explain WHY. the reason they don’t like to be touched is probably something dark and personal that everyone would rather stay buried.
i have really bad touch issues and even something ‘simple’ like a pat on the shoulder will send me into fight or flight mode. something like a hug would probably bring me to stress/fear-induced tears or cause me to punch someone in the face.
i know that for a lot of people touch is a form of comfort, but DO NOT ASSUME that EVERYONE is like that. you could make things way worse in your attempt to cheer someone up if you don’t know how they will react. as a person who absolutely loathes person-to-person contact, the little ‘comforting’ gestures are actually extremely painful and annoying and i really wish people would just stop assuming that everyone is like them and would start asking for permission before invading my space.
