Touch and Distance

Cultures vary in their norms regarding appropriate touch and distance, some with lots of touching and close distance during interpersonal encounters and others with less (Hall, 1966). Often, these differences correlate with latitude and climate. People living in cooler climes tend to be low contact and people living in warmer areas tend to be high contact (Andersen, 1997). The effect of climate on touch and distance is even present in countries that have both colder and hotter regions. Below, Cindy, a former student, describes her experience juggling norms for touch and distance.*

I’m a Mexican American from El Paso, Texas, which is predominantly Latino. There, most everyone hugs hello and good-bye. And I’m not talking about a short slap on the back—I mean a nice encompassing abrazo (hug). While I can’t say that strangers greet each other this way, I do recall times where I’ve done it. Growing up, it just seemed like touching is natural, and I never knew how much I expected it, maybe even relied on it, until I moved.

I came to Michigan as a grad student. My transition here was relatively smooth, but it was odd to me the first time I hung out with friends and didn’t hug them hello and good-bye. A couple of times on instinct I did greet them this way, and I’ll never forget the strange tension that was created. Some people readily hugged me back, but most were uneasy. Quickly I learned that touching was unacceptable.

Now I find that I hold back from engaging people in this manner. I feel like I’m hiding a part of myself, and it is frustrating. Nonetheless, this is the way things are done here, and I’ve had to adjust. Fortunately, I now have a few friends who recognize my need to express myself in this way and have opened themselves up to it. I’m grateful for that, and through these people a piece of me and my identity is saved.

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