Remote Hugs And The Future Of Hugging

Every year around Valentine’s Day there is a fresh crop of stories about all the new ways to enjoy the ultimate form of non-sexual physical contact: a hug. There are toys for hugging, remote hugging shirts, cuddle cafes and even “professional cuddlers” who will hug you for an hourly fee.

All of this innovation is simultaneously fun and sad to watch. Fun, because there is real ingenuity in trying to send a squeeze across a few thousand miles. Sad, because the market for a paid stranger to hold you for an hour says something uncomfortable about how many people are going without. Either way, it offers a reminder that no matter how social technology gets, the healing power of a hug is still universal and very much in demand.