If a guy recently hugged you for a long time then you’re probably wondering why and what it meant.

This post will help you understand why he hugged you for a long time and why other guys might hug you for a long time in the future as well.

So, what does it mean when a guy hugs you for a long time? A guy hugging you for a long time could mean that he likes you especially if he doesn’t hug his other friends for a long time, if he hugs you around the waist and if he shows other signs of attraction. He might also consider you a friend, be feeling sad or think that you are feeling sad.

Since there are a number of reasons why he might have hugged you for a long time it is important to consider the context of how he did it and the body language that he showed.

By doing so you will be able to get a better understanding of why he would hug you for a long time and the way that he feels about you.

Reasons why a guy will hug you for a long time

Each of the different reasons why a guy will hug you for a long time will likely come with a number of clues in the way that he hugged you, the body language that he showed and his behavior.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy will hug you and the signs that you can expect to see with them.

He likes you

If he shows positive body language and behavior around you then it would be likely that he hugged you for a long time because he is attracted to you.

It would be especially likely that he did it because he is attracted to you if he hugged you more tightly and if he hugged you around the waist.

If he hugged you higher up around the upper back then it wouldn’t be as likely that he did it because he is attracted to you. However, he still might have done it because he is attracted to you.

If he did hug you for a long time because he is attracted to you then it would be likely that he would show signs of being attracted to you in his body language and behavior when he is around you.

These signs could include things such as:

  • Mirroring your own body language (for example, he copies your hand and facial gestures, stands with the same stance, smiles like you and he talks at a similar speed and pitch)
  • Pointing his feet at you
  • Touching your feet with his
  • Finding reasons to touch you
  • Basing his plans on your schedule
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • His pupils dilate when he sees you
  • Getting agitated when you’re with other men
  • Sticking around when you’re with other men
  • Watching you when you’re with other men
  • Staring at you then quickly looking away or smiling when you notice
  • Standing closer to you when talking to you than he does with other people
  • Talking to you with a deeper voice than he does with other people
  • Sitting or standing with a straighter posture when he notices you
  • Adjusting his hair or clothing when he notices you
  • Uncrossing his arms when he notices you
  • Looking at your lips
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Asking you more questions than other people in the group
  • Getting defensive when other men are around
  • Laughing and looking to see if you’re laughing as well

He wants to be more than just friends

If he has been your friend for a while then the reason that he hugged you for a long time could be that he is attracted to you and he wants to be more than just friends with you.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would hug you for slightly longer than he does with his other female friends, he might hug you more tightly and he might hug you lower down.

It would also be likely that he would have been showing signs of being attracted to you when around you as mentioned in the section above and you might not have picked up on them.

He would be especially likely to get defensive when you’re both with other men, get agitated when you’re talking to other men, to have dilated pupils around you, to hold prolonged eye contact with you and to base his schedule around your schedule.

He’s feeling sad

The reason that he hugged you for a long time could be that he was feeling sad.

If that is why he hugged you for a long time then it would be likely that something would have recently happened that would have caused him to be sad.

It would also be likely that he would have shown signs of being sad in his body language by doing things such as:

  • Talking with a flat pitch
  • Watery eyes
  • Taking deeper breaths
  • Inhaling quickly through the nose
  • Looking down
  • Slouching
  • Being more quiet than usual

It would also be more likely to have been the reason if he hugged you after you had just been reassuring him in some way.

He thinks that you are feeling sad

The reason that he hugged you for a long time could be that he thought that you were feeling sad.

If he did then it would be likely that you would have been sad at the time and that you would have been showing signs of being sad such as those mentioned above.

It would also be likely that he would only have hugged you for a long time then and not at other times as well.

He considers you a friend

The reason that he hugged you for a long time could be that he considers you a friend and he normally hugs his friends for a long time.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would hug you in the same way that he hugs his other friends and it would be likely that he shows the same body language around you as he does around his other friends.

If he does hug his other friends for a long time then it could still be the case that he is attracted to you. If he is then it would be likely that he would interact with you in a slightly different way by doing things such as paying more attention to you and positioning himself to be closest to you. It would also be likely that he would show many of the signs of attraction mentioned in the first section.

Consider the way that he hugged you

When trying to understand why he hugged you for a long time it would be helpful to consider the way that he hugged you.

If he hugged you around the shoulder then it would be more likely that he was being friendly.

If he hugged you around the upper back then he might have been trying to reassure you, doing it because he considers you a friend or because he is attracted to you. It would be necessary to consider if either of you were sad at the time, if he hugs his friends in the same way and if he shows signs of attraction around you.

If he hugged you for a long time tightly around your lower back then it would be more likely that he was showing that he is attracted to you.

Consider who initiated the hug

It would also be helpful to consider who initiated the hug.

If he was the one that initiated the hug then it would be more likely that he was showing attraction. However, he still might have done it for a different reason such as being friendly, sad or thinking that you were sad. So, it would help to consider if either of you were sad or if he also hugged other people as well.

Whereas, if you initiated the hug then it would not be as strong of a sign that he is attracted to you since he might have thought that you wanted to hug him for a long time. He still might have done it because he is attracted to you but it would be necessary to consider whether or not he showed multiple signs of being attracted to you in his body language.

Consider when and where he hugged you

It would also be helpful to consider the situation in which he hugged you.

If he hugged you for a long time when you were both alone together then it would be more likely that he either did it because he is attracted to you or because one of you was sad. If neither of you was sad at the time then it would be most likely that he was showing attraction especially if he hugged you around the lower back.

If he hugged you when he was also hugging other people when saying goodbye then it would be more likely that he was being friendly because he hugs his friend’s goodbye. However, if he hugged you for longer, more tightly and lower down than he did with his other friends then it would be a sign that he is attracted to you.

Consider your relationship with him

It would also be helpful to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.

If he has been your friend for a while then it could be the case that he wants to be more than just friends with you. If he does then it would be likely that he would hug you a lot, more than he does with his other friends and that he does it more tightly, for a longer time period and lower down.

If it was a guy that you don’t know very well then he might have been trying to be polite if he did it when he was also hugging other people goodbye. But, it would be likely that he was showing attraction to you and it would help to consider the body language that he was showing and the way that he hugged you.

Think about the way that he reacts to seeing you

When trying to understand why he hugged you for a long time and the way that he feels about you it would be helpful to consider the way that he reacts to seeing you.

If he reacts to seeing you by noticeably changing his body language then it would be likely that he has good or bad feelings about you.

If he reacts to seeing you by:

  • Raising his eyebrows
  • Smiling
  • Holding eye contact with you
  • Making space for you
  • Pointing his feet at you
  • Adjusting his appearance
  • Sitting upright
  • Uncrossing his arms
  • Having more dilated pupils

Then it would be likely that he has positive feelings about you and that he hugged you for a long time because he is attracted to you.

Look for multiple signs in his body language

When considering the body language that he showed when he hugged you for a long time it would be helpful to consider multiple aspects of his body language.

This is because he might show a single body language sign for a variety of different reasons. This can make it difficult to accurately assess why he is showing it.

Whereas, if he shows a number of body language signs that all suggest the same meaning then it would be more likely that he is showing them for that exact reason.

Compare the way that he interacts with you with others

When trying to understand how he feels about you it would help to compare the way that he interacts with you with how he interacts with other people.

If he seems to hug other people for a long time and he shows the same behavior and body language around you as he does around them then it would be more likely that he hugged you for a long time because he considers you a friend.

Whereas, if he only seems to hug you for a long time, he hugs you in a more intimate way and he changes his body language and behavior when he is around you then it would be much more likely that he is attracted to you.

Related

What does it mean when a guy hugs you for a longtime tightly? It would be likely that he is attracted to you and you should consider where he hugged you and if he was showing other signs of being attracted to you. It could also be that he was trying to reassure you or that he was feeling sad himself.

If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people's true intentions.

Author

I created and currently manage Body Language Central, one of the premier sources for body language-related knowledge. Body language plays a key role in our daily lives. I hope that my website can help condense the wide amount of body language information available and allow you to make full use of it in your daily life. You can read more about me and my website here.