You might have started a new relationship with your boo or are even in the middle of the dating phase.
You’re walking down the grocery store aisle together, and suddenly, you feel a warm sensation on your hand. What could it possibly be?
As you look down at your hand, you realize your guy is holding your hand while you two walk down the grocery store aisle. What does this mean?
There are many reasons why holding hands can be a good thing!
Holding hands is a sign of affection, and a sign that guy truly likes to be around you.
When a guy holds hands with someone, it means they are open to reciprocating those feelings of affection in a way that is sweet, yet subtle, and not creepy!
Holding hands can also be done with your guy friend, and this is just as sweet as holding hands with a date.
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Why do we hold hands?
Holding hands might seem like a childish activity or even something that is only done to show affection at a surface level.
On the contrary, the magic of holding hands goes way deeper than any one of us could imagine!
Studies have shown that holding hands actually leads to very real physical reactions in the body.
These include:
- Lowered anxiety
- Lowered fear levels
- Increased and similar brain activity between partners
- A sense of belonging
- A sense of hope
In our scenario at the beginning of this article, we talked about holding hands in a grocery store, or even on a date.
But think about when you’ve held hands with other people in your life, such as members of your family. Why did you hold hands with them?
Common reasons for holding hands
For many people, holding hands serves many purposes.
For parents, for instance, holding hands with their children provides an easy way to protect them and keep them from getting lost or running into the street.
For people grieving, holding hands is a good way to feel close to a family member who is ill, who is in pain, or who is undergoing an extensive amount of trauma in their life.
Many men also choose to hold their partner’s hand as she gives birth, therefore providing a layer of comfort and a sense of protection to the female.
All of these are very common reasons for holding hands. None of these are taken lightly.
In fact, the more you realize that holding hands is usually only done amongst people that are very familiar with us, the more you start to realize how this small gesture can have some big implications in your relationship.
Why is he holding my hand?
By far the easiest way to determine why your man seems to enjoy holding your hand, or why he has suddenly decided to hold your hand, is to ask him!
When you ask a guy about it, try not to be confrontational (unless the touching of your hand is without your consent, in which case tell them about your desire to not be touched).
You can ask him questions such as:
- Do you like holding my hand?
- Do you hold everyone’s hand?
- What makes hand-holding special to you?
- Why do you only hold my hand during _____?
- Am I special to you?
By asking these questions upfront, you can get the answer you seek from your man sooner rather than later.
However, one thing is certain, holding hands is typically only reserved for the most special people in a person’s life.
As science has shown, the entire purpose of holding hands is to increase bonds and connections.
It’s the body’s and brain’s way of communicating to the other partner, “We are here,” or “I am present with you.”
Holding hands is a very powerful act that can improve your mood, help you relax if you’re feeling scared, help you understand how to navigate a situation a bit better, and is overall one of the best ways to show affection without being too overbearing.
Holding hands is, at times, better than kissing or even sex to show just how deeply you care for someone.
Can hand-holding be clingy?
It’s important to note that some guys might want to hold your hand more often than you’d like.
For these guys, hand holding is everything, and they don’t want to let you go or want to give you up to someone else!
This can be flattering, but it can also be clingy.
If you find yourself holding on to a guy’s hand for way too long, or a guy continues to hold your hand despite you expressing to them it’s not necessary to hold your hand for such a long period of time, it’s best to start limiting your hand-holding experiences.
This can be done in a nice way. For instance, you can tell a guy that you only want to hold hands while in public, and don’t want to hold hands while eating, driving, or doing physical activities.
Hand holding, in this sense, can start to become intrusive, and it can negatively impact your ability to even complete simple tasks!
If you, personally, don’t like to hold hands during activities such as shopping in the grocery store or taking walks, this is also something you need to discuss with your partner.
How to improve your hand-holding experience
Sometimes, it’s a minor inconvenience to hold hands with someone, and even though you’d like to hold hands, it just isn’t feasible! Fortunately, there are many ways to improve your hand-holding experience with your man. Here are some tips:
Wear lotion. If you’re uncomfortable holding hands because you’re insecure about your dry skin, or your man has dry skin, there’s no shame in hydrating your skin with some lotion so you both can feel softness while holding each other’s hands!
Consider medications for excessive sweating. Excessive sweating is also known as hyperhidrosis. It is actually a common condition that can be fixed with medication or with a topical ointment to ensure your hands aren’t sweating.
This can help ease any anxiety you might have about holding hands and having sweaty palms.
Wear gloves. If you live in a cold environment and don’t want to hold hands because you’re exposing them to the temperatures outside, wear gloves and keep your hands warm to improve your hand-holding experience!
Set a time to hold hands. This may sound silly, but if you’re driving or doing another task that keeps you busy, be upfront about when you’re not willing to hold hands.
Then, try to compromise by setting a time to hold hands, such as during the evening as you two are watching movies, or while you two are out shopping or on a date during a walk.
Final Thoughts
Whether a guy is a friend or a partner, holding hands is one of the nicest ways to show someone cares about you.
A friend can easily hold your hand while you’re upset and have the same level of support as a guy holding your hand during a date!
Ask your man about why they’re holding your hand, how to improve the hand-holding experience, and enjoy being safe and protected holding someone else’s hand.
