A while back, I stumbled upon a Facebook event for a Free Hugs Day. My immediate response was to click "attending" and take full advantage of hugging my friends that day.
For my group of friends, however, hugging is nothing new. The group of people I hung out with in high school used hugs as greetings, to say good-bye, and pretty much whenever we felt it was needed.
This past week, while discussing social norms in my marketing class (of course, this concept doesn't click until the fifth time I studied norms), I realized that my friends and I break a social norm with our friendship ritual. Members of our group come up against this norm all the time. If one group member brings a new person to the group, when it's time to say our good-byes, the ingroup members stand about awkwardly, wondering if they should hug the new person or not. After all, we don't want to scare anyone away.
In fact, one night last summer, I went for a walk with a friend from my high school group and another friend I had known since first grade. At the end of the walk, I said good-bye to the grade school friend and hugged the high school friend and left it at that. I thought about hugging the grade school friend too, but I figured I didnt have that type of relationship with that friend at the time. Months later, the grade school friend recounted the story of that night to me, telling me he or she had wanted a hug too (but was too shy to ask for one).
Out of fear of breaking a social norm, I left out a friend.
Juan Mann of Sydney, Australia is on a mission to make sure nobody is left out.
Mann started a free hugs campaign in 2004 to help others to feel loved and supported. The campaign has a random acts of kindness philosophy and offers hugs to total strangers on public streets.
Although Juan Mann has come up against some legal and social obstacles, the campaign lives on and has since spread around the globe thanks to the following youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
Don't let your friends feel left out.
Hug a pal today!
You can learn more about the Free Hugs Campaign here: www.freehugscampaign.org
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It's Centrifugal Motion, It's Perpetual Bliss XOXO
Did you ever wonder why it is that people kiss? Who was the first person to look at another person and think "I wanna swap saliva with him/her"?
According to Sharon K. West's article in Historical Mysteries, most people believe that kissing originated as a primitive eating ritual. Mothers would prechew the food and then spit it into the mouths of their children. Being that this was done from mother to child, this 'kiss' became associated with signs of affection as well as meeting basic human needs.
By 2000 B.C., people believed that kissing joined two souls together (How sweet! But that's some pretty deep commitment). The Ancient Egyptians associated kisses with giving life (ahem, or one thing led to another and....).
According to
anthropologist Vaughn Bryant Jr., the first erotic kiss was exchanged in India around 1500 BC. (Score two for the Indians. They started indoor plumbing, too!)
Over time, kisses became used in many different instances, such as greetings, sealing deals and even betrayal (Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.).
Russians were the first to incorporate kisses in their marriage ceremonies (changes your view of the Russians, right?).
The French were the first to consider kssing as an acceptable form of courtship (surprise, surprise). The French are also given credit for the French Kiss or "Maraichinage," a long kiss that developed into the erotic, tongue twisting kiss we know and love today.
In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some kissing tips adapted from Seventeen Magazine (December 2009 issue):
1. Make sure your lips are moist. Put on chapstick in advance, so your lips aren't sticky but still moist. Make sure it tastes good too!
2. Start your make-out session with small close-lipped kisses until you can match each other's pace.
3. It's not just in the lips. Use the tongue in creative ways too. You can practice by trying different types of tonguing on your own skin and see what feels good.
4. Add a few more actors to the show. Use your hands to carress your partner's face or hair or even add some sensation by stroking their arms or shoulders.
5. Don't think. Just go with the flow.
6. End the kiss by rubbing your nose against your partner's. It's a sweet way to end the kiss (and I think it's totally adorable!)
And if you feel about guilty about indulging yourself in the kisses (I mean, hey, sometimes you wonder if too much kissing makes the relationship too physical), calm your worries with these great insights into the benefits of kissing from West's article:
1. Kissing sends signals to our brain, which produces oxytocin, a hormone that creates an overall good feeling.
2. According to psychologists, people who kiss their spouse before they go to work miss less work because of illness. Also, people who kiss make 20-30 percent more in wages per month, get in fewer auto accidents and live up to 5 years longer!
(Easier than eating an apple every day, right?)
So, treat your honey good on Valetine's Day.
Impress him or her with your knew knowledge on the history of kissing, please him or her with the simple tips to improve your kissing and enjoy being with each other.
All the best in life and love!
Oh, and don't forget to check out West's article:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_bizarre_mysterious/110045
xoxo
According to Sharon K. West's article in Historical Mysteries, most people believe that kissing originated as a primitive eating ritual. Mothers would prechew the food and then spit it into the mouths of their children. Being that this was done from mother to child, this 'kiss' became associated with signs of affection as well as meeting basic human needs.
By 2000 B.C., people believed that kissing joined two souls together (How sweet! But that's some pretty deep commitment). The Ancient Egyptians associated kisses with giving life (ahem, or one thing led to another and....).
According to
anthropologist Vaughn Bryant Jr., the first erotic kiss was exchanged in India around 1500 BC. (Score two for the Indians. They started indoor plumbing, too!)
Over time, kisses became used in many different instances, such as greetings, sealing deals and even betrayal (Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.).
Russians were the first to incorporate kisses in their marriage ceremonies (changes your view of the Russians, right?).
The French were the first to consider kssing as an acceptable form of courtship (surprise, surprise). The French are also given credit for the French Kiss or "Maraichinage," a long kiss that developed into the erotic, tongue twisting kiss we know and love today.
In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some kissing tips adapted from Seventeen Magazine (December 2009 issue):
1. Make sure your lips are moist. Put on chapstick in advance, so your lips aren't sticky but still moist. Make sure it tastes good too!
2. Start your make-out session with small close-lipped kisses until you can match each other's pace.
3. It's not just in the lips. Use the tongue in creative ways too. You can practice by trying different types of tonguing on your own skin and see what feels good.
4. Add a few more actors to the show. Use your hands to carress your partner's face or hair or even add some sensation by stroking their arms or shoulders.
5. Don't think. Just go with the flow.
6. End the kiss by rubbing your nose against your partner's. It's a sweet way to end the kiss (and I think it's totally adorable!)
And if you feel about guilty about indulging yourself in the kisses (I mean, hey, sometimes you wonder if too much kissing makes the relationship too physical), calm your worries with these great insights into the benefits of kissing from West's article:
1. Kissing sends signals to our brain, which produces oxytocin, a hormone that creates an overall good feeling.
2. According to psychologists, people who kiss their spouse before they go to work miss less work because of illness. Also, people who kiss make 20-30 percent more in wages per month, get in fewer auto accidents and live up to 5 years longer!
(Easier than eating an apple every day, right?)
So, treat your honey good on Valetine's Day.
Impress him or her with your knew knowledge on the history of kissing, please him or her with the simple tips to improve your kissing and enjoy being with each other.
All the best in life and love!
Oh, and don't forget to check out West's article:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_bizarre_mysterious/110045
xoxo
Monday, February 1, 2010
Spread the Love and Tell Her About It
To my dearest boys,
We girls cannot live without you. However, we do want to make it pleasurable to live with you.
Communication between the genders is often difficult. While guys are more visual and express their love through actions, girls are better at understanding the verbal. Girls need to be told how you feel, and told repeatedly.
As hard as we try, we can't get inside your heads. We won't know what's going on if you don't tell us. And, if you neglect to tell us sweet things for a long period of time, we worry that you've changed your minds.
So the best advice I can give to you comes from Billy Joel:
Listen boy
Don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away
You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made
She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do
Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control
You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul
You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know
Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real
Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means
Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly
When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure
Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there
Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe
Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone
Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes
Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes
She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do
Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real
Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means
Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait--you got to
Tell her about it
Don't worry though, boys. We love you too, and we can't live without you either.
Don't forget, 13 days til Valentine's Day. Make it special for her, and remind her how you feel.
Love Always,
~Passion4Words
We girls cannot live without you. However, we do want to make it pleasurable to live with you.
Communication between the genders is often difficult. While guys are more visual and express their love through actions, girls are better at understanding the verbal. Girls need to be told how you feel, and told repeatedly.
As hard as we try, we can't get inside your heads. We won't know what's going on if you don't tell us. And, if you neglect to tell us sweet things for a long period of time, we worry that you've changed your minds.
So the best advice I can give to you comes from Billy Joel:
Listen boy
Don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away
You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made
She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do
Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control
You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul
You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know
Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real
Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means
Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly
When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure
Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there
Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe
Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone
Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes
Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes
She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do
Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real
Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means
Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait--you got to
Tell her about it
Don't worry though, boys. We love you too, and we can't live without you either.
Don't forget, 13 days til Valentine's Day. Make it special for her, and remind her how you feel.
Love Always,
~Passion4Words
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