Hugs are definitely healing, yet so very intimate. I believe that's why men are more selective typically than women when it comes to hugging. Despite the push to say men and women are the same here in liberalized U.S., we really aren't. Men are (although they are trying so hard to destroy it) the builders and defenders of a society. Nature has selected men to be the line of defense against predators to the structures, and time and again whether it be nature itself, or other societies seeking conquest it is up to the men to try and be hard enough to weather such a storm.

This hardness is compromised without their being a more guarded and analytical outlook that is always surveying for threats while minimizing making oneself one.

A good example of this would be dogs who are much more natural (regardless of sex in this example). In the wild, dogs do not sleep on their bellies. Yet, if one is in a loving home they can become relaxed enough to begin sleeping in such a vulnerable position. My little one will actually ham it by pretending she wants to play tug with one of her toys then "accidentally" roll over on her back so I can rub her belly. But in the raw savage area of nature, she would never have done this.

I was fortunate as a child, in that my father who was a very strong man, always hugged us. So he taught us that it is permissible depending on the circumstances. Despite that, I would say I need to have a very high trust of another to not only allow them to hug me, but also a comfortableness. I don't feel at ease with people being in my personal space, let alone hugging me without that feeling towards them.