Earlier in the week a questions was asked on the main activity feed about how people feel around the idea giving people hugs and whether it makes a difference if people are of different genders?

I thought it would make an interesting new topic. On a general rule and theory basis, and also considering personal feelings and experience. 

I have named the topic "naturist and physical interactions" to look at more than just hugging but also holding hands, shaking hands, putting arms around people's shoulders etc. A quick search shows human-to human physical interaction as: Involving direct touch, such as shaking hands, cuddling, or social contact, which helps build trust, emotional connection, and is crucial for development.

On the orginal post I replied: 

Steve and I "have talked about this before - and I thought we had a forum topic on it but it appears not, so it may have been on our old A N Family blog site.
I think it all depends on who these people are, how you feel with them in general and the friendship you have with them. In short if you are comfortable giving them a hug when dressed then it should be the same in a naturist situation.
"Comfort" being the opperative word here, as occasionally you may feel forced out of social niceties to give some one a hug when you don't feel comfortable with them. Maybe that is something that shouldn't happen in either a dressed or naturist situation.
I think we should go with our natural feelings, Steve and I have certainly hug the occasional friend in a naturist situation and don't believe gender should come into it.
Skin to skin contact should be as natural as clothing to clothing contact - in logically it should be more natural. It has to be something both sides feel at ease with.
There are some people in a non-naturist situation that I wouldn't feel right shaking hands with, let alone hugging. There are others that I trust and naturally connect with. A lot of it has to do with emotional connections and feelings."

Do share your thoughts on this subject...

For us to hug a person, is nothing really to do about if that person is a textile or a naturist, it is far more personal. We are well known for giving hugs to people, but it is not an open forum for everyone, because for us it is about connection. When we feel a strong bond with someone who has a special level of connection with us, (Good friends’ level) and we have what we feel is a strong level of trust, we will always hug them when we meet, and that includes also when naked. To us it is never a sexual or flirtatious thing, but merely a display of affection and joy to be reunited with someone who has deep meaning in our life. We have raised eyebrows at things like the swim meet, because we have met special people (Old friends, etc.) in the pool and hugged them, even though we were all naked at the time.

It is a known fact that skin to skin contact is the greatest form of communication, which is why a custom of meeting and shaking hands has been around society forever. Just like the wave, which shows strangers you are not armed by carrying a weapon, showing the naked palm instils a higher level of trust at a first meeting. In theory, if everyone is naked, the trust level should be far higher, simply due to the fact that all parties have nothing to hide, so if you have already established friends within naturism, the trust level is far greater. If you add to that the preset that every naturist abides by the rules of none sexual behaviour, then there should be no reason at all to treat those you have a trusting friendship the same as you would if they were dressed.

If we take to rule of naturist do everything the dressed do, but we do it sans clothing, then there really should be no valid reason why we do not treat our friends the same way when in a naturist situation. We feel it also sets a higher example of trust when others see us hug our friends, which we would hope would show others that there is nothing wrong in being your natural selves whilst naked.

I totally agree, and it is interesting to read that you occasioanlly come across "raised eyebrows." I wonder if some will explain this point of view on the fourm. All points of view are welcome and have equal validity to the person voicing them. 

I do find it valuable to consider that we can behave as natural (I believe more natural) in a naturist situation as we would in a dressed situation. And feel that should be part of how we treat and trust people, who is welcome in naturism (families, children, single men....), how we behave, what we can do (such as taking photographs), and how we connect emotionally and physically. Naturism is not a sexual environment so we should feel the innocence of touch just as equally as we do in a dressed enviroment, and also should not expect people to behave too intimately (as we would in a dressed environment). Just a good natural balance.  

Twenty odd years ago I joined a professional committee that would meet a couple of times a year.  Most of the members were from the USA and they were huggers !!!  It took three or four meetings before we were all in sync that they hugged and I (a brit) shook hands.

That "said" I totally agree with the sentiment that naturists behave the same as textiles just less clothes more often.  So the hugging "rules" should not change.

p.s. Our committee produced an ISO standard so a great outcome for our efforts. ;o)