MEN are split over where a full embrace is really an appropriate way to greet other males.
Man hugs were introduced 25 years ago as a response to the power combination of Ecstasy and house music. The tactile greeting has since spread throughout social life and work, sometimes causing extreme awkwardness.
Teacher Stephen Malley said: “I’m okay hugging another man if their grandad’s just died, but not if they’re just my Natwest mortgage advisor.
“If I’m just dealing with another man in a work context then I don’t particularly need to feel his hot breath in my ear.”
Professor Henry Brubaker at the Institute for Studies said: “Last week we discovered a dentist met a new client to discuss root canal work and warmly hugged him in the reception area. It was horrible.
“Mostly it’s a middle class phenomenon, at the moment we’re predicting man hugs to take at least two years to reach plumbers but it may be sooner.
“Why did we let this happen? It used to be such a simple world.”
