Poll: hugging/embracing/kissing - Is this just me, or ....

[Guest W***ledi*Time]

Surely this is not worth thinking about, yet somehow curiosity keeps tickling me.

 

In social situations (i.e. when both bodies are vertical and clothed), I strongly tend to hug to my left, placing my chin over the hugee's right shoulder:

 

 

However, in intimate situtations (i.e. when both bodies are horizontal and unclothed), when I'm on top and lean down to nuzzle my partner's neck, I'll almost always automatically lean to my right and into her left shoulder. And when my partner's on top and leans down, she almost always leans to her right and nuzzles my left shoulder (I'm not conciously giving her directional cues, but I don't rule out the possibility).

 

 

Is this just me? Or do other people have directional biases, either left or right?

 

I tried searching the subject on the net, and the closest I've come is a study on kissing.

 

The study is "Head-turning asymmetries during kissing and their association with lateral preference", by Sebastian Ocklenburg and Onur Güntürkün of Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany (LATERALITY, 2009, 14 (1), 79-85).

 

http://www.bio.psy.rub.de/papers/Ocklenburg_Guentuerkuen_2009-1.pdf

 

A head-turning bias to the right side is one of the earliest functional asymmetries in human development and is already present during the final weeks of gestation. To test whether head-turning preference is related to other lateral preferences in adults, kissing behaviour of participants towards a symmetrical doll was observed to assess their spontaneous head-turning preference. Additionally, participants' individual handedness, footedness, and eye preference were determined using questionnaires. A significant difference in handedness and footedness, but not eye preference, was found between left- and right-kissers, with right-kissers showing a stronger rightsided bias than left-kissers. These results support the assumption that the headturning bias in humans may be able to induce or enhance other asymmetries of perception and action....

 

Of the 150 participants, 93 (62%) kissed to the right and 57 (38%) kissed to the left

...

 

 

I don't think I myself have a directional tendancy when kissing, but the hugging and embracing tendancies are there in myself, and possibly in my partners (I can't be sure that they aren't somehow taking their cues from me, even when I'm flat on my back).

 

Hence my curiosity and the poll:

What about you? Do you have directional biases?

 

(The poll is multiple choice, for three situations: social hugs; intimate embraces; kisses).

[cometman 35115]

Just thinking about what I am doing is probably going to screw up my kissing and hugging now. I better not end up with a concussion from banging heads with someone!

[Malika Fantasy 144625]

I kiss and hug from the left side when being intimate.

 

Weird giving i am right handed.

[Gia Wren Marlowe 67985]

I have a right-sided bias for both friendly and intimate embraces, as well as when kissing. Knowing I'm so one-sided on this bothers me a little. I like to think I'm very well-rounded, haha!

[Guest W***ledi*Time]

I kiss and hug from the left side when being intimate.

 

Weird giving i am right handed.

 

The author of the kissing study commented on this, after a 2003 article he published in the Journal Nature on the same subject:

 

The right or left kissing preference cannot be directly associated with right- or left-handedness

, Güntürkün said, because humans are eight times as likely to be right-handed than left and only twice as likely to tilt to the right for a kiss. Right- or left-handedness is either influenced by environmental factors or unrelated to in-the-womb head turning.

 

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/02/57660

[Studio 110 by Sophia 150333]

Huh.. what an interesting mind to have come up with this thread, lol

 

You certainly thrown me for a loop and had to imagine all these senarios....

 

Thanks, for this was fun:)

 

Also note!! It would be interesting to know....when looking at poll as it stands, how many are Lefty? how many Righty? Would this reflect the poll??

[Reuben Sandwich 13841]

The fun part was re-visiting the intimate scenarios just to get my right and left figured out.

 

I have a dominant left eye which would tend to sway me to come in on the right side before I actually close my eyes and let other senses take over.

 

 

[Guest *ebu**]

Enough to drive one mad. For the next week I will be checking myself. A leftie, but I am not sure that I am in all things.

[Jade-S (Retired) 19717]

Isnt it odd that always we do what just comes naturally without much thought until someone gives us pause to give it thought.

 

Im a lefty, l lean to my left for a hug, but tilt my head to the right for a kiss.

 

And during my head tilting re-enactment I tried tilting to the left and not only did it feel unatural. I gave myself a kink in my neck! LOL :lol:

[Studio 110 by Sophia 150333]

Isnt it odd that always we do what just comes naturally without much thought until someone gives us pause to give it thought.

 

Im a lefty, l lean to my left for a hug, but tilt my head to the right for a kiss.

 

And during my head tilting re-enactment I tried tilting to the left and not only did it feel unatural. I gave myself a kink in my neck! LOL :lol:

 

Hahha, yes had the neck kink a few times, lol...

 

Dont you love it when both people get confused, fake left...fake right...eventually a kiss lands somewhere, but no one knows where, lol

[Jade-S (Retired) 19717]

Haha! Sophia isnt that the most awkward moment! LOL

[NotchJohnson 214123]

Very interesting poll.

[LeeRichards 177238]

I kiss and hug from the left side when being intimate.

 

Weird giving i am right handed.

 

Okey dokey then Frenchie ! Wear a helmet when we hook up...I always go right ;)

 

 

I always go right...and after some deep thought here...I have no freaking idea why ??? lol Perhaps the right side of the neck and right shoulder are tastier cause I like to nibble baby ;)

 

Seriously a cool post and interesting to read the replys :) Fun fun !

[Sappho 1247]

Well, as a dyke, I can tell you that I usually go to the left. When kissing or hugging or whatever.... I know I am not the normal response, but if you are looking for a response like me.... I go from the left....

[SamanthaEvans 166766]

I was at a large social gathering this evening at which there were many social hugs exchanged and so I'm pretty sure I hugged from the right every time. In an intimate setting, I think I'm pretty right-inclined, but I may not be remembering this accurately. I do tend to tilt my head to the right when I kiss someone, but I can go either way, too!

 

All that aside, I'm going to be very self-conscious over the next few days, just to see what happens!

[backrubman 64800]

Seems a little like breathing to me and when we become aware of our breathing then it's almost an annoyance to switch it back to autopilot.

 

See what I mean: inhale, now exhale, now inhale again, ok, exhale again. Opps, now you have taken conscious control and switched off the autopilot. You best fly the plane until the autopilot takes over again.

 

Clearly this is something we don't often consciously think about, but odd we may need helmets to protect against head banging if we do and never require that if we don't. Hmmmm....

[Athos 108589]

I'm an ambidextrous kisser and hugger!!!

 

Porthos

[Miss Scarlett 25073]

I am ambidextrous with my hands so it has never bothered me to be both with hugging and kissing. I usually just follow the lead of the gentleman, like with dancing. The last thing I need is a bumped head or swollen lip. hehe

[Touch 57501]

This thread kept me up a couple of hours.

 

In intimate (or expected to be intimate) situations it seems I usually try to be on the woman's right side. If I caress her face it will be the left side of her face. If I caress or kiss her breast (or thigh), her right one will get all the attention. If I lick her ear, it will probably be her right one.

 

Now I can back to sleep (happy)...