Hug vs Cuddle

Human beings are social animals. They want to be around other people; they want to seek attention, and they need to share happiness and joy as well as sorrow and pain. There are different body languages and non-verbal communications which go on between two or more people when they know each other. One of the non-verbal ways of expressing affection and love towards another person is to hug them or cuddle them.

Both of these actions are actions of love, support, joy, and sometimes expression of the fact that you trust someone even if you are in pain. Both of these actions are very similar yet different.

Hug
Hugging is generally a group thing or between two people who are familiar with each other. When you know somebody, you hug the other person as a greeting or as a sign of acceptance. The act of hugging is basically a simple physical contact, a very brief physical contact when you wrap your arms around another person’s neck or waist, maybe squeeze a little bit, and then break away. The most important characteristic of a hug is it is a brief encounter, a brief contact.
A hug is a form of physical intimacy which is not offensive to most of the modern cultures. It is accepted as normal and can be done publicly also. Many societies or cultures still do not accept it between the opposite genders in public, but it is very much accepted between an adult and a child.
Hugging has to be mutual; both the parties participate equally in a hug and are receptive equally.

Cuddle
To cuddle is a type of physical intimacy where two people embrace each other for a long time; they hold each other closely, longer than a hug. This act can be between a mother and child where the mother holds her baby and sits for a long time while the child falls asleep, or if the child is anxious, then she holds it till it feels the warmth of the body of the mother, feels safe and calms down. Cuddling can be between two partners where two people who are very familiar with each other and like or love each other sit or lie down for a long time just holding each other. This act also expresses love, familiarity, and trust.
Cuddling might not be acceptable in public and may be treated as a taboo in many cultures especially between a man and a woman.
Though cuddling is a mutual act between two people, it is possible that one can be just receiving it while the other person is just embracing or cuddling.

Summary:

1.A hug is a brief embrace between two or more people; a cuddle is a long embrace between two people.
2.Hugging is usually accepted in almost all cultures publicly; cuddling is looked down upon as a “public display of affection” in even the most modern cultures.
3.A hug is mutual, all people participate. Cuddling could be mutual or one person can receive it while the other gives it.

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