How To Tell If A Hug Is Romantic? 9 Things To Pay Attention To

Sometimes, all you want to know is how to tell whether a hug is romantic. You want to decipher its hidden meaning!

Did this guy hug you because he wants you to know that he likes you or did he just give you a friendly hug? You need an answer right now!

Hugs can easily be mistaken for something they aren’t. And there’s no one to blame as it can be hard to figure out the actual meaning behind one.

You lean into the arms of this person and you don’t really know what’s going through their head.

Is this guy hugging you because he feels something for you? Or is his hug completely innocent and friendly, with no hidden intentions?

The fact that you’re hugging someone with whom you’re able to picture your future makes the matter even more complicated. You would be the happiest woman in the world if this guy were to tell you that he likes you while he’s still holding you in his arms.

But you didn’t hear him say a word so you’re still left wondering what this hug meant to him.

Was it romantic and did he try to show you that he likes you through it? Or should you stop getting your hopes up because it had no hidden meaning?

Worry no more, as you’ll get the answer you’re looking for right away!

How to tell whether a hug is romantic?

We associate romantic hugs with our partner and friendly ones with our friends, family, and people we don’t know that well.

But once you get a hug from a guy who’s cute and funny and with whom you already have a crush on, your mind gets blurred and your legs can start to shake.

You get home and the first thing you do is take out your phone and Google the words ‘how to tell whether a hug is romantic?’

You can’t stop thinking about the moment he held you in his arms and you want to know whether it meant anything to him.

Also, you keep recalling the hug, trying to remember all of the moves he made in order to realize what he meant when he hugged you.

And since you stumbled upon this page, I’ll make sure to give you the best explanation possible.

Here’s how you can tell whether a hug is romantic or friendly. Pay attention to the following details and you’ll easily solve the dilemma you’re faced with.

1. What was his body language like?

One of the ways to tell whether a hug is romantic is to think of the body language this guy had when he went to hug you. His body language doesn’t lie and it will easily give him away.

So, think of these things…

Was he standing there stiffly when he hugged you? Do you remember him looking all closed up and keeping himself away from your body a bit?

Or did you feel like his whole body was shaping and adapting to the contours of yours? Did you feel like he was leaning into you and losing himself for a moment?

If your guy kept standing in his own personal space, without leaning in and giving himself to the hug completely, then it’s probably that he only hugged you in a friendly manner. There were no hidden feelings behind it.

But if you noticed that every atom of his body shaped to fit yours, then there’s a high chance that you just received a romantic hug.

When you hug someone while having in mind that you want to be more than friends, your whole posture changes. You replace the stiffness of your body with gentleness and you approach this person with a wish to reveal your secret.

That’s why your body relaxes, as you don’t feel like being anywhere other than in the arms of the person you’re hugging.

Also, another thing about his body language that can help you solve this predicament is his smile. Think of it!

Did he smile at you before he hugged you? And did that smile last even after you pulled away from each other?

Yes, a friend could smile while hugging you but usually, that smile won’t last even after the hug.

While you were pulling back into your personal spaces, did you notice that he was still looking at you with a huge grin on his face? If that’s the case, then there’s a good chance that you just received a romantic hug!

2. Think of the pressure!

How to tell whether a hug is romantic? Well, simply think of the pressure he made while hugging you!

The tighter the hug, the stronger the feelings.

Trust me, you have to be best friends for him to give you a tight hug that’s classified as friendly. But if you just recently met this guy, then there’s no way that you would expect him to squeeze you into this arms.

When he leans his whole body into yours and then hugs you tightly, it’s obvious that his hug is more than a friendly one. You feel the attraction he feels for you as he holds you in his arms like he doesn’t want to let go of you.

It’s like he’s telling you that he doesn’t want the moment to end but he knows that’s not possible. So, while he has you in his arms, he’ll hold you as tight as he can so he can feel every detail of your body.

On the other hand, if a guy gives you a loose hug and if it feels like he did so only because he thought that he had to, there’s nothing to look out for.

It doesn’t even count as a friendly hug if he stays in his own personal space and hugs you only with his upper body.

This is more likely a sign that he doesn’t like you and that you shouldn’t get your hopes up with him.

3. How long did it last?

When this guy hugged you, did you feel like he didn’t want to let go of you? Did you feel that the hug lasted a bit longer than usual?

This is how you can tell whether a hug is romantic! The longer he holds you in his arms, the more he likes you.

When a guy gives you a quick squeeze, you don’t really expect him to feel affectionate toward you. And the length of his hug reveals that.

He simply goes in, reaches his arms around you and he’s out. There’s no time to hold you in when he doesn’t intend on giving you a romantic hug.

But if he’s interested in you and maybe even feels something for you, the length of his hug will change completely.

Another clue you can use to figure out his intentions is the timing of the hug.

Usually, we hug someone right when we meet up with them or when we’re parting from them. But did you notice that he hugged you in the middle of hanging out?

It doesn’t matter whether you were alone or with a group of people, he simply reached out for you and held you in his arms.

Because he did this at such an odd time, it usually means that he feels something for you and that he couldn’t resist giving you a romantic hug.

He was looking at you and his body simply took the lead. He had no time to control his actions.

In a second, you were already in his arms and he probably then realized how awkward it was since you were in the middle of hanging out with others.

But at least he helped you figure out his intentions with this cute mistake he just made.

4. Where did he put his hands?

The position of his hands is one of the things that can help you figure out whether a hug is romantic.

Usually, the lower he places his hands, the stronger his feelings for you. Or to put it this way, the lower his hands, the lower the chances that he’s just giving you a friendly hug!

If you notice that your guy placed his hands around your waist or right under it, there’s a strong chance that he sees this hug as a romantic one.

At this point, he may even pull you in a bit because he wants you to be as close to him as possible.

Also, you should pay attention to whether he plays with your hair. Friends don’t do that but a guy who feels something for you may subconsciously reach toward your hair and start twirling it.

He may even lean his head in so he can smell your perfume that enchanted him in the first place. Trust me, a friend would never do any of these things.

His arms would never be around your waist or at the lower part of your back. These positions are reserved for romantic partners only!

5. One or both arms?

How to tell whether a hug is romantic? Again, pay attention to his arms but this time, focus more on the fact of whether he used both of his arms to hug you or only one.

Friends usually hug with one arm. They reach around your back and lightly tap you on your shoulder.

Even if they opt for both arms, you’ll usually notice that one arm goes over the shoulder and another one under the armpit.

If it’s a romantic hug, it won’t look like this. Instead, a guy will hug you with both arms and they will usually be around your neck or waist.

He doesn’t want to leave just a friendly impression, as his mission is to show you that he likes you a bit more than that, so he’ll use a hug to reveal his little secret to you.

So, try to remember his arm placement and the way he approached you. Once you figure that out, you’ll know whether his hug was friendly or romantic.

6. What were his hand movements like?

Another way to tell whether a hug is romantic is to pay attention to his hand movements. It’s clear that hands play a huge role in deciphering the meaning of a hug and their moves can easily reveal a guy’s secret.

So, when a guy hugs you and makes sure to rub your back or makes circular motions over it, there’s a high chance that he went in for a romantic hug.

Friendly hugs are usually followed by a tap on the back so you can’t think of a hug as just friendly if you catch a guy gently rubbing it. Those two things simply don’t go hand in hand.

However, if you expressed sadness right before the hug, it could be that the guy was rubbing your back because he wanted to comfort you.

So before you get your hopes up, try to remember whether you expressed any kinds of concerns that would have made him wish to comfort you.

Once that’s out of the way, you’ll be able to figure out what he actually meant by carefully circling his hands over your back.

7. Was there whole body contact?

Body contact can also tell you a lot about the type of hug you’re getting.

You may think that this is crazy, as it’s obvious that your bodies will touch once you go in for a hug. But the point is that you need to pay attention to which parts of your body touch.

If it’s only your upper bodies, then you should stop romanticizing this hug as it means nothing more than two friends embracing each other.

But if you noticed that your lower bodies touched as well, then there’s a good chance it was more than just friendly.

Usually, friends know how to keep their hugs casual, so their chests touch but that’s about it. Their legs and lower bodies usually remain in their own personal spaces.

So, you lean in with your chest, hug a friend and you’re out. But romantic hugs are a bit different as they involve the whole body.

When a guy hugs you romantically, you’ll notice that his legs and lower body are actually touching yours. He won’t make sure to stay away from you but he’ll instead step inside of your personal zone as well.

At this point, he may even tilt his head into your neck as he wants to enjoy this moment he has with you. He wants to be sure that his and your body are in perfect harmony.

And then, as mentioned before, you’ll notice that he’ll keep you in his hug a bit longer than usual.

He doesn’t want to let you go now that he’s realized that your bodies are a perfect match. They’re like two magnets with opposite poles that keep pulling closer to one another.

8. Was there eye contact prior to the hug?

How to tell whether a hug is romantic? Well, try to remember the eye contact he gave you prior to or after the hug.

Believe it or not, this simple move can easily give him away.

A friend won’t look you directly in the eyes and try to establish contact with you before he goes in for a hug but a guy who feels something for you and wants to give you a romantic hug will do exactly that.

He’ll stare deep into your eyes before he goes to hold you in his arms. Then once he lets you go, he’ll keep looking at you for some time.

To be honest, he would probably love to seal the hug with a kiss but he knows that he can’t do that right away. Maybe it’s too early or he doesn’t know how you feel about him.

However, prolonged eye contact allows him to enjoy your perfect face and to look at those lips he wants to bring closer to his.

If you keep all of this in mind, it’s obvious that the hug he gave you was so much more than a friendly one.

Maybe he feels something for you but he’s afraid of rejection. Or maybe he thinks that you see him only as a friend.

Whatever the case may be, once he makes sure to keep eye contact before and after a hug, you’ll know where you stand.

9. How did he approach you?

If you want to know how to tell whether a hug is romantic, then think of the way this guy approached you.

If it was a hug from behind then your dilemma is solved. There’s no way that a guy would hug you from behind if he didn’t see you as more than a friend.

These types of hugs are usually reserved for couples who already feel close to each other. As a result, they don’t feel awkward when approaching their partner from behind.

If it was a frontal hug, then you’ll need to remember all the things I mentioned above. These hugs are much more neutral in approach, which means that you need to observe other details of his behavior to find out the truth.

If it was a side hug, then there’s nothing to get your hopes up for, as these ones are almost always classified as friendly hugs. A guy who wanted to hug you romantically would never opt for a side hug.

How to respond when he hugs you in a romantic way?

If he’s already given you a romantic hug once, the chances are that he’ll do it again. The first time, he was testing the waters.

He wanted to see whether you’d push him away. But since you didn’t do that and you let him hold you in his arms, there’s a high chance that he’ll repeat his move.

However, this time, you should make sure to give him feedback. You should show him how you feel about his hug.

In order to do that, you need to realize what you actually want from him. Do you want to give him a chance and maybe even go on a couple of dates with him or is that too much to ask for?

If you see him as a friend, then you shouldn’t be giving him false hope. That would only hurt his feelings.

But if you actually like this guy and you’re desperately waiting to find yourself in his arms again, then there are a few things you can do after he repeats his hug.

1. Reciprocate the effort

If he’s holding you tight in his hug, then you shouldn’t be standing there doing nothing at all. Instead, you should tighten your arms around him and show him that you feel the same way he does.

If he keeps eye contact with you after the hug, then you should do the same. Don’t look away but instead lose yourself in his eyes.

If you turn your head away, he’ll get the impression that you didn’t enjoy his hug and that he’s making you uncomfortable. And that’s not something you want if you have the same thing in mind as he does.

2. Smile at him

A smile equals happiness. When he hugs you and you give him a genuine smile afterward, you’re letting him know that you enjoyed being held in his arms.

You didn’t mind his hug. If anything, you would have loved if it had lasted even longer.

If you free yourself from his arms and look away without a smile on your face, he’ll get the feeling that you hated his move. After that, he’ll make sure to never hug you again.

3. If you feel brave enough, let him know how you feel

If you notice that he keeps hugging you romantically and you enjoy his embraces, then you can be the first one to do something about it.

Maybe he’s too shy to reveal his feelings or maybe he fears that you’ll reject him. Whatever it is, you can always be the one to take the first step.

Your words can take you in the right direction. Simply let him know that you enjoy spending time with him and that you love when he holds you in his arms.

However, if you do opt for this step, you’ll need to be sure that you’re not imagining things. Be certain that he’s actually giving you romantic hugs.

If you get your hopes up where there’s no reason to, you may end up being hurt. And that’s not what you want.