I actually prefer hugging over handshakes due to my personal perception of it as less intimate.
From an hygienic point of view at least, I'd find it possible to argue that hugging is less "intimate" than a handshake.
Most people's subjective perception might be different of course. But it seems a lot is about customs and having "grown into" a certain procedure.
Nor the worst.
> From an hygienic point of view at least, I'd find it possible to argue that hugging is less "intimate" than a handshake.
> Most people's subjective perception might be different of course.
Yes it is different and I'll explain why: if a male and female hug each other, her breast will touch (via clothes) his chest. Especially if she has large breast. This can regularly lead to her getting hard nipples, and it might cause a chain reaction (ie. she figures she fancies him or might fancy him). Males know this (tho very young males might not). How's that not more intimate than shaking hands?
Another reason why hugging is intimate is that whilst hugging (feeling each other's body) you don't see each other at that point, and you don't see each other's arms or hands.
Yet another reason is, its traditionally part of foreplay for sex.
The problem of hygiene as you mentioned is partially solved by washing your hands before dinner.
As for hygiene, as a general note, you might wanna check your keyboard and touchscreens for bacteria. Tho neither existed in the Victorian era.
Touching someone is an intimate act between two people. A handshake is a gesture at the least intimate end of that scale. It's a way of mutually saying "we are no longer complete strangers, we are two people who know each other well enough to actually touch each other... but not too much".