Why Don't French People Hug? (2024)

FAQs

Why Don't French People Hug? ›

Hugging in France

It's not normal in French culture to hug, so if you attempt to hug a French person, they may get a little too close, too touchy-feely, might not know what to do with their hands or might just stand there waiting for you to move on to the next unsuspecting Frenchie. It'll make them feel really awkward or embarrassed.

Some cultures do not use hugging as a sign of affection or love, such as the Himba in Namibia.

A French habit

Contrary to what one may think, the the kiss on the cheek does not come from our contemporary culture but goes back to antiquity. It is indeed the Romans who made it a social code. The practice was stopped in the 14th century in order to avoid the spread of the plague.

The French do not just say 'Salut'. They also shake hands or kiss. At work in the morning, colleagues shake hands, and sometimes it is also customary to shake hands again at the end of the day. Shaking hands is thus a ritual at the beginning and end of each encounter, even if the encounter only lasts five minutes.

Instead, they kiss cheeks (faire la bise) informally and shake hands in formal settings. Because they are not given often, hugs tend to make French people uncomfortable and can easily seem like an invasion of personal space. Hugs are not normal between strangers, acquaintances, or even most friends and family.

The number one country was Austria (97.3), followed by Germany (96.8) and Cuba (95.8). The United States was at 91.3 points.

Some people find hugging awkward no matter the situation, and everyone in the office should respect that. And it is certainly not okay to hug someone at work and touch him/her inappropriately, press too closely, or whisper in his/her ear.

In some more conservative countries, such as islands in the Caribbean and some countries in Southeast Asia (such as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand), PDA is frowned upon and will attract negative attention.

From personal observation, it seems Latin American cultures and Mediterranean cultures tend to be more physically affectionate (e.g. kiss on the cheek to greet, more "touchy-feely", hugs, etc.) when compared to Northern Europeans or East Asians.

Why do French kiss with tongue? ›

Description. A French kiss is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A tongue kiss stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sensitive to the touch and induce sexual arousal, as the oral zone is one of the principal erogenous zones of the body.

A French kiss is of course a kiss with open lips and a probing tongue. A Spanish kiss adds some suction as the tongue is withdrawn.

La bise and le bisou both mean "kiss": French family, friends, and some colleagues* exchange kisses on both cheeks upon meeting and leaving, as well as to congratulate or thank someone.

Meaning: “Yes; Excellent!” How: Make a fist and extend your thumb upward. Where / When: In France, you can't go wrong with the all-time classic thumbs-up.

The French don't have to say it, either. They are happy to communicate their feelings with hugs, cuddles and kisses wherever and whenever they feel the need to express love. There is no debate about public displays of affection in France, where PDAs are celebrated as a fortunate consequence of love.

Romance across Europe

Being demonstrative in public is seen as perfectly natural: people kiss and hug when they meet in the street; friends walk around arm-in-arm or holding hands; couples kiss and caress in the street. All of this is nothing out of the ordinary.

It's no big deal in France

Of course, it wasn't called a “French kiss” in France. It was just a kiss. The French didn't even have a word for the style of kissing until 2014, when the Petit Robert dictionary added a new verb: “Galocher.” It literally means “to kiss with tongues.”

French culture expects kisses on the cheek in greeting, though the customs differ.